I'll Be Your Light
by Advanced Faith
Summary: Ash, now Pallet Town Gym Leader, hadn't dated in five years, and is coerced into attending a speed dating event set up at Brock and Misty's bar. Surprisingly to him, he meets someone he connects with. But his past makes him reluctant to pursue, can he finally reveal his secrets? Contains teen/adult themes. Slight AU. Advanceshipping.
1. They Meet

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

The lights behind the bar were the only illumination that the room contained, with two men visible in the relative darkness. The bartender pulled two pints, placing one down in front of the only customer left in the place, before taking a swig out of his own drink.

"How was the Pokémon League meeting?" the bartender asked. He stood at just above six feet, with spiky, dark brown hair and a mild complexion. A discernible feature were his eyes, permanently narrowed, as if he were squinting at everything. He was wearing dark brown cargo trousers, with a green polo shirt.

"It was alright, thanks, just the usual extending of the rolling contract, just crazy how long the process takes," the other man replied.

Although he was sat down at the bar, it was easy to see he was taller than the bartender, with raven black hair, and warm auburn eyes. He was wearing dark blue jeans with a plain grey t-shirt, with a black jacket slung over the stool next to him.

The two men were Brock Harrison, 28, former Gym Leader of Pewter City, and Ash Ketchum, 25, the current Gym Leader of Pallet Town, and temporary member of the Kanto Elite Four.

Brock nodded, "where's Pikachu? I thought you would've taken him with you?"

"I did, but I just dropped him off at the ranch on my way here," Ash answered. His becoming of the Pallet Town Gym Leader coincided with the completion of Professor Oak's new ranch, which had allowed Ash to purchase the land and move in, converting part of it into his Gym.

"How are things at the hospital?" Ash asked, taking a sip of his drink. Aside from co-owning the bar they were currently in, Brock was close to completing his training to become a Pokémon doctor, so he had been stationed, part-time, at Kanto's Pokémon hospital, where severe injuries that the Poké Centre couldn't deal with were treated.

"Going good! They said that I should be able to complete my training before the end of the month, and are happy to offer me a position there, but can only do so on a part-time basis to start with," Brock answered, smiling happily. Ash shared the smile, he was pleased that his closest friend was nearing his dream.

"That's awesome, Brock! I'm really happy for you! Does Misty know?" Ash replied. Misty was Brock's wife, the current Gym Leader of Cerulean City, the trio had journeyed through Kanto and Johto together when they were younger, which sparked Misty and Brock's relationship. After Johto, Misty and Brock settled back down into life as Gym Leader's, until Brock got the opportunity to train as a doctor. At this point, he permanently passed on his role to one of his younger brothers and moved to Pallet Town with Misty, buying the bar at the same time, the latter commuting to Cerulean City.

"Yeah she does, we spoke about it last night," Brock answered, "she was so pleased for me that we closed the bar early and went out for dinner." Ash smiled at the thought of his beat friends having a night off for once, but the reminder of their situation in comparison to his, saddened him slightly. A fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by Brock.

"I still don't know why you haven't tried to get back out there, Ash," Brock said, before placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, "It's been five years." Ash gulped.

"I can't do it… I can't let her go," he replied quietly. He took a large swig from his drink.

"You _need_ to get out of this rut, Ash," Brock said firmly, "I want you to be happy again."

"I am happy!" Ash countered. There was a rustle of keys in the door, which swung open to reveal a red-haired woman, wearing a light blue mini-skirt and a yellow t-shirt.

"Hey Mist!" Brock greeted, before quickly returning his attention to Ash, "we've organised a speed dating event tomorrow, you should come down."

"Before you answer that, you're going to have a challenger tomorrow," Misty told Ash, "I got beat, he was an exceptionally skilled trainer."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise. He and Misty had become the two strongest Gym Leader's in the region, it had been a few months since Misty had lost a battle.

"But yes, you should most definitely come down," Misty added, walking behind the bar and greeting Brock with a kiss, before pouring herself a glass of wine and joining them properly.

"For Arceus' sake," Ash groaned, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling, "I'll see what time I can get away from the Gym," He added, defeated. He knocked back the rest of his drink, and slid the glass across to Brock.

"I expect to see you hear, 5pm tomorrow!" Brock said, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Ash retorted, grabbing his jacket and putting it on, "I best get back if I've got a battle tomorrow, see you later."

"See you tomorrow!" Brock and Misty said in unison. Ash groaned as he left the building, making the couple laugh slightly. Brock walked over to the door and locked it, fully closing the bar in the process.

"You made sure to invite her, didn't you?" He asked, walking back over to the bar to clean up before they turned in for the night.

"Yeah, I popped in on my way back from the Gym," Misty answered, "which is why I was so late back."

"Good," Brock replied, "I just hope they meet each other, they'll get along like a house on fire."

Misty nodded, but didn't verbally reply.

-IBYL-

Ash rubbed his eyes as his alarm jarred him out of his sleep at 8am the following morning. He looked to his left and saw his starter Pokémon doing the same thing.

"Morning, Pikachu," Ash greeted, scratching the little yellow rodent on the head. Pikachu growled in approval. "C'mon, we've got a battle to prep for." He slid out of bed, and threw on the same t-shirt as the night before, with some black jogging bottoms. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and together they went downstairs and opened the sliding glass door out onto the ranch.

Ash stood still momentarily, allowing the fresh morning breeze to wash over him. He looked out over the ranch and saw his various Pokémon individually waking up. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and the duo started to do some stretches, getting joined throughout by more and more of Ash's Pokémon as they got warmed up for their usual morning training session.

They had barely got going when Ash heard the doorbell ring. Confused, he walked back inside the house, leaving the Pokémon that had gathered to carry on with their training. Ash opened the front door and stood there was a young man, seemingly in his late teens, with blueish hair and brown eyes, covered by a pair of glasses, wearing a light green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.

"Hi, is this the Pallet Town Gym?" The man asked politely, then suddenly, a look of surprise crossed his face, "are… are you Ash Ketchum?" he asked.

"Yes this is the Gym, and yes I am, have we met before?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Oh no we haven't, I'm just a really big fan! I saw you compete in the Johto Conference before I became a trainer and it totally inspired me!" The young man answered, enthusiastically.

"Well thank you! It's nice to meet you…?" Ash extended his hand as he spoke, the young man took it and shook it.

"I'm Max, from Hoenn!" the young man answered.

"Nice to meet you, Max, that's a long way to come to challenge a Kanto Gym, how long have you been a trainer?" Ash asked, gesturing for the younger trainer to come inside.

"Well, I've already competed in the Hoenn League, but I spent quite a long time training with my dad once I'd got a team of six, I wanted to make sure I was in the best shape possible to challenge the Gyms there," Max answered, "I also wanted to challenge the Kanto league because my sister lives here now." The duo walked through into the ranch, where Ash's Pokémon were sparring.

"That's awesome to hear, Max, a wise choice!" Ash complimented, "I know all too well about the dangers of rushing into Pokémon tournaments under prepared." This surprised Max.

"Really? But you seem so calm and ready during the Johto Conference?" Max asked. Ash smiled nostalgically.

"I learnt from my mistakes challenging the Kanto League, I was so arrogant about my abilities I didn't spend much time at all training, and got my ass handed to me, to be perfectly honest," Ash answered, "how many Kanto badges have you won?"

"Seven," Max answered, taking out a box and unclipping it, and sure enough the badges from Pewter, Cerulean, Vermillion, Celadon, Fuschia, Saffron and Cinnabar all sat there. Ash's Gym in Pallet Town had taken the place of the Viridian Gym, which had been abandoned when Giovanni, the Gym Leader there went into hiding, it had been discovered that he was also the leader of the notorious criminal organisation Team Rocket.

"I'm impressed, which did you feel was the toughest to get?" Ash asked, curious about which of his colleagues had tested this young man the most.

"Tactically, I'd say the Saffron Gym, battling against someone who doesn't verbally give commands was unnerving," Max answered, "but for the pure strength of their Pokémon, the Cerulean Gym yesterday was the toughest."

Ash smiled and nodded, he had expected that answer. Sabrina had been trying to unnerve her challengers, wanting to test their metal in an unusual situation – not knowing what move their opponents Pokémon was going to use.

"I'm close friends with the Cerulean City Gym Leader, she told me you were an exceptionally skilled trainer, so I'm looking forward to this battle," Ash replied, smiling at Max.

"Yo-you're the Gym Leader?" Max asked, eyes slightly wide. Ash nodded.

"A 3v3 battle sound good?" Ash asked, moving over to the battlefield he'd had installed, it had an automated referee system, so he could accept challengers at any time.

Max nodded, slightly worried about the match, he hadn't expected to be battling one of the trainers that inspired him. He had tried to look up as much about the Gym Leaders as he could before challenging them, but he had found nothing about Pallet Town's. A screen raised out of the ground in the middle of the battlefield, and two more in each of the trainer boxes, Ash's side was green, and Max's side was red.

"Would you mind inserting your Pokédex into the port on that screen?" Ash asked, as he tapped a three buttons on his screen and pressed enter. The screen then regressed back into the ground. Max did what the raven-haired Gym Leader had asked. Once he'd entered it, he was surprised to see his Pokémon appear.

"If you don't mind me asking, what type Gym is this?" Max asked, stepping onto his side of the battlefield as well. Ash smirked.

"Y'see, I'm considered the final step before the Kanto League, and when I was offered this place, I didn't want to be limited to one type," Ash's smirk grew wider, "I use all the types."

Max gulped.

"But to make it more fair, I'm not allowed to substitute my Pokémon, and I reveal my choice first, allowing you to pick any of the Pokémon you've brought with you," Ash explained, "Charizard!" he shouted.

There was a large roar from the forest, and an orange blur shot out of the trees, slowly descending in front his trainer. The dragon-looking Pokémon roared when he touched down.

"Gardevoir, I choose you!" Max called, unclipping, enlarging and throwing the Poké Ball in one swift movement. The psychic Pokémon appeared in front of Max.

"This Gym battle will b between the challenger, Max Maple from Petalburg, and the Gym Leader, Ash Ketchum, from Pallet," an automated voice came out from the middle screen, "the first round will be Max's Gardevoir vs Ash's Charizard, begin!"

"Gardevoir, use Moonblast!" Max commanded, the psychic type started to build up a large pink ball on her hands, before firing it sharply at the Fire/Flying type.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" A stream of fire quickly left Charizard's mouth, exploding on contact with the Moonblast creating a large cloud of dust. Charizard's Flamethrower came flying out of the cloud, and hit Gardevoir before she could react, sending her across the battlefield. Neither Max nor Gardevoir had time to react before Charizard came shooting across the field, his wings glowing like steel, and collided with Gardevoir, making her crash into the ground once again. Her eyes turned to swirls after taking the super-effective hit.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle, this round goes to Ash and Charizard!" The automated referee said, the screen turning green, indicating Ash had won.

Max was stunned. He'd seen Ash battle plenty of times before, and knew he was a strong trainer, but _actually_ battling him made Max see how impressive he really was. The dust cloud settled, revealing a serious looking Ash.

"Is Gardevoir okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice, and facial expression.

"Yeah, she's fine, thanks for your effort Gardevoir," Max replied, returning his Fairy/Psychic type. A little ball shape slot appeared out of Max's screen.

"Put the Poké Ball in that slot and it'll start healing Gardevoir for you," Ash explained, Max smiled gratefully, please that his Pokémon could receive immediate attention.

"Mightyena, I need your help!" Max called, sending out his second Pokémon, the black and grey hyena appeared in a flash of light. He growled as he stared down Charizard.

"Round two, Max's Mightyena vs Ash's Charizard, begin!" the referee called.

"Mightyena, Agility, then Thunder Fang!" Max called. The dark type leapt into action, getting quicker and quicker as he ran, his mouth sparking. He leapt forward and went to latch onto Charizard's wing.

"Double Team!" Ash called. Before Mightyena could connect with his Thunder Fang, duplicates of Charizard appeared all over the field, causing Mightyena's attack to go straight through one of the copies.

"How did Charizard get away so fast?" Max asked incredulously, he knew how fast his Mightyena was, but Charizard just seemed on a different level!

"Weight training, Charizard is a heavy Pokémon, so I have him lugging three/four times his own body weight around as quickly as he can," Ash answered, "it might seem harsh, but he loves doing it."

Max was stunned, the realisation of how much hard work goes in to becoming a top trainer. Sure, Max had done lots of training with his Pokémon, but he'd never pushed them _that_ far.

"Charizard, Fire Blast!" Ash commanded, snapping Max out of his thoughts.

"Mightyena, get out of the circle!" Max shouted, desperate to ensure that his Pokémon got out of the circle of illusions that Charizard had created.

But it was too late, the kanji fire surrounded Mightyena from all sides, of course, only the real blast did any damage, but it did enough to knock Mightyena out.

"Mightyena is unable to battle, this round goes to Ash and Charizard!"

Max couldn't believe it, this Charizard had knocked out two of his strongest Pokémon, without them even landing one hit!

"Sceptile, I need you!" Max shouted, unleashing his starter Pokémon. Ash raised his eyebrow in surprise.

" _This Sceptile must be strong,"_ Ash thought, _"there's no way he'd send it out with an obvious type disadvantage unless he was powerful."_

The green lizard Pokémon stretched as he appeared on the battlefield, staring down the Charizard opposite him. A small smirk appeared on each of the Pokémon's faces, both acknowledging each other's strength.

"Round three, Max's Sceptile vs Ash's Charizard, begin!"

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Max commanded, and his starter leapt into action, quicker than Ash could react to, a green, glowing blade expanding out of the Grass type's arm. He swiped with his right, then his left, both connecting with Charizard's chest. The latter roared in pain as he slid backwards from the hit.

"You okay, Charizard?" Ash called, knowing that the attack shouldn't be that effective, but he could tell that this Sceptile was seriously powerful. Charizard roared in response, clearly unhappy that he'd taken the hit. Ash nodded and clenched his fist.

"Charizard, Steel Wing!" Ash shouted, wanting his Pokémon to get in close to the Sceptile.

"Sceptile, Thunder Punch!" Ash's eyes widened in shock. That was an incredibly rare move for a Sceptile to obtain. In fact, Ash had recently tried to get his own Sceptile to learn it, but hadn't been having that much luck.

Sceptile leapt forward, fist crackling with electric energy, meeting Charizard halfway across the field, the latter's wings shining like they had done when he knocked out Gardevoir. Sceptile's fist collided with Charizard's wing, causing a huge explosion – sending both Pokémon flying backwards. The explosion had caused another large cloud of dust, which blocked both trainer's view of the field. Both waited anxiously to see the result of that collision.

"Both Sceptile and Charizard are unable to battle, the challenger is out of usable Pokémon, meaning the victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" the referee exclaimed as the dust settled, revealing both Pokémon unconscious on the field.

"Charizard, thanks for your efforts, you were great," Ash said proudly, returning his Charizard and placing it into the healing slot that had appeared on his side.

"Sceptile, I couldn't be more proud, you took on the most powerful Charizard I've ever seen, and almost won!" Max praised, also returning his Pokémon, but he did not place him in the healing slot. Instead, he picked up his other two Poké Balls, containing the other Pokémon he had used in the battle, and walked across the field to Ash.

"Thank you for accepting my challenge, I'm sorry that I didn't provide much of a battle," Max said, somewhat downheartedly, "I mean, I'd heard rumours that this Gym was the toughest in the region and that it was almost impossible to win here, but I didn't believe them."

Ash smiled kindly at the young man, offering his hand, which Max took, shaking it firmly.

"You have an incredibly powerful team, don't lose faith in yourself," Ash replied, "no one has come close to my Charizard in a very long time, let alone knocking him out," he added, smiling slightly at the surprised, yet proud look that came across Max's face.

"I'm sure with even more hardwork and dedication, you'll come back here and beat me," Ash advised. Max took a moment to ponder what Ash had said, feeling even more proud of the work his Pokémon had put in.

"Thank you, Ash," Max thanked, "I really appreciate your words, I think I'll head off and meet my sister, will probably stay at hers until I'm strong enough to beat you!" Max said enthusiastically, clenching his fist in determination. Ash smiled.

"I look forward to it, see you around!" Ash bid Max farewell, as the trainer walked around the side of the building and out the side gate. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a tough battle," he muttered. A look of realisation appeared on his face.

"Oh Arceus, this means I have no excuse not to go tonight…" Ash mumbled, running his hand across his head. He glanced over to where his Pokémon were still training, pleased that they had maintained their focus, even with a battle going on.

"Guys, I'm going to be going out today, are you all okay to look after yourselves?" Ash asked, grabbing their attention. He received a positive response from them, so he headed inside, deciding to get ready early and head over to see his mother, as he hadn't seen her since getting back from the Pokémon League. Going back into the house, he walked over to the front door, which had a switch next to it, he flicked it, meaning the sign that said the Gym was open, turned off.

He trudged back upstairs, still feeling reluctant about his agreement to go. He entered his room and opened the wardrobe, deciding to choose his attire before showering. He picked out a grey and red checked long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of smart black jeans, thinking it would go well with a nice pair of grey trainers that he owned. With that being decided, he hopped into the shower, humming the tune to a recent song he had heard.

When he was finished, he dried himself off and grabbed a hairdryer, just giving his hair a quick blast to speed up the drying process, before heading back into his room. He sprayed himself with deodorant, and a little squirt of cologne.

Ash dressed himself and headed downstairs, grabbing his shoes from a cupboard upstairs on his way down. Once he had the shoes on, he went outside to the ranch.

"Alright everyone, I'm heading over to mum's for a while before going out, make sure you all behave!" Ash ordered. Upon receiving a roar of agreement from the collection of Pokémon, he headed back inside. He headed over to a coffee table that was situated in between two sofas, picking up a silver watch from aforementioned table in the process. Clipping it to his left wrist, he glanced at the time as he exited out the front door. 3pm. Meaning he had a couple of hours to kill, something he could easily do visiting his mum.

The walk only took five minutes, just down the hill from his house, he smiled as he walked through the gate, reminiscing somewhat on the amount of times he had taken this course when returning from his journeys. Knocking on the door, he only waited a matter of seconds before it swung open, revealing a smiling Delia Ketchum. She was wearing her brown hair in a ponytail, and had a yellow apron on over her pink t-shirt, accompanied by a dark blue jean skirt.

"Oh Ash, it's good to see you!" She exclaimed, pulling her son into a hug.

"You too, mum," Ash replied, "how have you been?"

"Very well thank you," Delia answered, as the two separated and entered the house properly. "How was the Elite Four meeting?"

"Went smoothly thanks," the duo walked through the kitchen, where Ash grabbed himself a soft drink, and into the lounge, where they placed themselves either side of the sofa. "They've asked me to continue as the first member for another three months, but they're not sure whether Agatha is going to be able to come back."

"Have they not been able to help?" Delia asked, frowning. Ash shook his head.

"If anything, they said it's likely to get worse," Ash said sadly. He had been offered the temporary role in the Elite Four when Agatha had been diagnosed with Leukaemia, severely weakening the popular lady.

"Oh that's sad," Delia replied quietly, "what does that mean for you?"

"If the worst does happen," Ash answered, carefully choosing his words, finding it hard to talk about one of his colleagues in this way, "then as long as they find a Gym Leader replacement, they may offer me the place permanently." Delia smiled, a proud, but sad look on her face.

"That's great news," she responded, "I just wish it wasn't under such sad circumstances." Ash nodded in agreement, a solemn look on his face.

"But there's been talk that she wants to retire before she's forced out," Ash added, "and she wants an exhibition match with me, which would make me feel slightly better – more like I've earnt the role."

"That would be a great spectacle! And a much better way for Agatha to pass on the role," Delia said softly. Once again Ash nodded in agreement.

"Where's Mimey?" he asked, slightly confused at the Psychic Pokémon's absence.

"He's picking up some shopping for me," Delia answered, "this 'click and collect' grocery option has been a godsend!" Ash chuckled at his mum's words. Delia then gave Ash a quick look over. "Not that you don't always dress well, but what's with this get up?" Ash gulped slightly.

"Well I've been roped into going to a speed dating event that Brock and Misty are hosting at the bar," Ash answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Delia smirked.

"About time they coaxed you into something like that," She teased, "it'll be good for you!"

"Why does everyone think they know what's best for me?" Ash groaned, rubbing his forehead in slight frustration.

"Well you've done very well on your own," Delia said quietly, but with a hint of pride in her voice, "I'm really proud of you, honey." Ash smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"Thanks, mum," he replied, sliding over and giving Delia a hug, "but I wouldn't have got this far without your support." Delia smiled as she hugged Ash back.

"I'm so pleased to see what a wonderful young man you've become."

"I'm hardly a young man anymore, I'm 25 for Arceus' sake!" Ash exclaimed, chuckling lightly as they pulled apart.

"Are you calling me old, Ash Ketchum?!" Delia exclaimed. "I'm only 43 myself!"

Ash waved his hands in denial.

"No, no, no!" he answered quickly, "I just meant it's been a long time since I've dated… I've never been able to bring myself to after… y'know," Ash added, his tone becoming sad as he finished his sentence. Delia gave him a knowing look.

"Honestly, Ashy," Delia said softly, using the name she often called him when he was growing up, "this will be good for you, even if you don't meet someone you want to get to know better, at least you'll have made a step in the right direction."

Ash smiled lightly at his mother's encouragement. He glanced at his watch.

"I hate to cut this short, but I'm gonna head over to the bar, it starts at 5pm and I want to see if I can help set up," Ash explained, Delia smiled in understanding, "but dinner at mine tomorrow night?"

"That sounds lovely," Delia replied, as they stood up and walked to the front door.

"I'll see you then, mum," Ash said, as he gave his mum another hug, before opening the door and walking out.

"I look forward to it," Delia replied, smiling brightly, "have fun tonight!" she added, a teasing tone in her voice. Ash groaned.

"I'll try!" He responded, "Love you!"

"Love you too."

Ash waved as he walked down the road. It would only take him a few minutes to reach the bar. Even though his success in tournaments had brought Pallet Town more attention from the wider world, there hadn't been as much expansion to the town as many would have thought. It was easily possible to walk around the entire town in half an hour to forty minutes. The main editions had been the hospital that Brock was placed in, and a university that Ash had donated some of his winnings to help fund. He had loved growing up here, and wanted to give something back to Pallet Town.

Arriving at the bar, he glanced through the window before entering, noticing that no one was in there.

"Sorry, we're not open yet!" Brock's voice came from the bar, he had his back turned to the door. Ash smirked.

"Oh, well I thought you might like some help setting up, but if I'm not wanted I'll be on my way!" He replied, tongue-in-cheek. Brock turned around quickly at Ash's voice.

"Sorry, Ash! I didn't realise it was you!" he apologised, before grabbing a glass and pouring Ash a drink, "I'm really glad you decided to come down."

"You practically gave me no choice!" Ash joked, gladly accepting the beer that Brock handed to him. The latter smirked.

"You'll thank me for this later!" Ash was slightly surprised at the certainty in his voice, but somehow, that seemed to comfort him.

As the clock ticked by, people started turning up, most of them Ash's age, if not slightly older. Glancing subtly around the crowd, no one had really grabbed Ash's attention. That being said, he wasn't much for judging books by their cover. He found it much easier to like people with great personalities. There had been plenty of women he had met who looked great, but their attitude and personality sucked.

As his eyes surfed, they suddenly connected with a stunning shade of blue. Ash's heart seemed to beat faster. The brunette smiled at him, and he quickly returned the look before turning fully around and taking a swig of his drink.

" _She seems so familiar, where do I know her from?"_ Ash asked himself. He had met plenty of people throughout his journey, maybe he had bumped into her somewhere before? _"No, I really would've remembered someone like her."_

He stole another glance at the beautiful woman. She seemed to be doing a similar thing to him, her eyes slowly looking around the room. Ash made sure to look away before her eyes found him again. He could feel them on him, burning into his subconscious. He could feel his heart beat quicken again, and heat rose to his face.

He felt like he was saved by the bell.

"Alright gentlemen, please come up to the bar!" Misty's voice helped snap him out of his reverie, "collect yourselves a sticker to write your name on, and a number for which table you sit at."

Ash did as he was told, writing his first name only on the sticker, before placing it on the left hand side of his shirt. He was also given table number 3. Once all the men had sat down, Misty called up the girls to do the same.

"Alright, you will have a couple of minutes at each table," Misty explained, when all the women had been given their numbers and name badges "whenever I ring the bell, you move to the next table, in numerical order."

Ash was watching her speak over his shoulder, having been placed at a table that had his back to the rest of the bar. He hadn't even noticed the first person sit down in front of him.

"Hi, Ash," the woman said, when Misty had rung the bell. Ash jumped slightly, but not visibly.

"Hi, Alice, nice to meet you," he replied, extending his hand in greeting. The two shook quickly, before Ash took a calming sip of his drink.

"You too, so, what do you do for a living?" Alice asked, Ash wondered briefly whether he should say he was the Gym Leader. Too often he had been approached by women who only wanted something from him because of his status.

"I'm the Gym Leader here, and try to help out part-time with Professor Oak," Ash answered. This was the truth, as much as he could, he went and studied with Professor Samuel Oak, and the latter's grandson, Gary. Ash regretted this, he instantly noticed a change in Alice's demeanour; she was much more attentive and interested.

"That must be interesting! You must have a lot of knowledge of Pokémon," she replied, somewhat dreamily, resting her chin on her palm, elbow on the table.

"I'd like to think so," Ash replied politely, but he had already lost interest. That shift in personality was one of the reasons why Ash didn't want to attend, "what do you do?"

"I work in a salon in town," Alice answered, twirling a strand of hair in her finger. Ash opened his mouth to respond, but, once again, he was saved by the bell.

"Nice meeting you, Alice," He said, finishing the rest of his drink. He didn't even wait for Alice to leave the table, before he turned around and signalled to Brock for another drink.

" _This is going to be a looooong night,"_ Ash thought, as Brock smirked at him and poured him another pint. He was very pleased when Brock brought over and placed the drink down on the table, purposely avoiding Brock's eye, he looked back across the table. A woman called Sandra sat on the other side.

That conversation went almost exactly like the last. As did the next. And the next.

Ash didn't even bother hiding his boredom at the fifth. He downed half of his drink when Misty rang the bell to switch to the sixth. Once again he turned and signalled to Brock.

"Make that two," A soft voice said from the other side of the table. He turned around his heart almost leapt into his mouth.

It was her. The brunette. He finally took a proper look at her, she was wearing a blue tank top that _really_ matched her eyes, it seemed to be frilled down the front, and fitted her figure nicely. She had accompanied this with a black mini skirt. Ash smiled.

"Same sorta night for you?" the woman nodded emphatically in response, and the two shared a laugh. Ash gestured to Brock that the lady would like a drink too. Brock smirked.

" _About time, the moment of truth,"_ Brock thought, as he and Misty shared look, and nodded at one another.

Ash turned back to the table and glanced at the woman's name badge.

"It's really nice to meet you, Ash," the woman said, extending her hand. Ash internally frowned that she'd beat him too it, but smiled brightly as he shook her hand.

"Very nice to meet you too, May," the brunette returned Ash's smile, with as much enthusiasm, "If I may ask, what do you do, May?" Ash asked, as Brock brought their drinks over. The duo smiled appreciatively at the bar owner, before looking back at each other.

"I actually recently moved here, having been offered a place at the university," May answered, Ash mentally noted that she was drinking white wine.

"What are you studying there?" Ash asked, taking a sip of his drink. May smiled, but shook her head.

"Sorry, I should've clarified," she replied, "I've just been offered a teaching role there." Ash smiled at that.

"Congratulations!" He said enthusiastically, causing a bright smile to form on May's face, "that's awesome! What are you teaching there?"

"Coordinator Techniques," May answered, but Ash could tell she wasn't telling the whole story. It then hit him that she was having the same internal battle that he had earlier.

She was afraid that if she said whatever she had to say, that Ash would only be interested in her because of that.

"That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed, genuinely impressed. It seemed like May picked up on his honest interest, and decided to continue.

"Thank you, Ash," she replied, smiling at the raven-haired man, "I actually won a few Grand Festivals whilst I travelled," she added, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Ash's eyes widened in surprise, _that_ was where he knew her from! He had seen her in many Grand Festivals over the years, May Maple, the Princess of Hoenn. He quickly hid that look from his face, knowing that he'd hate it if someone overreacted about his accomplishments.

"That's really impressive, May!" Ash complimented. He was pleased when May's embarrassment seemed to dissipate, he could tell that she didn't feel comfortable bragging.

"What about you, Ash? What do you do?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine. Ash was glad he had asked first, he had learned a lot about the woman in front of him, and so far, all of it was good.

"I've been travelling around a bit myself, attempting to take on Pokémon League's here and there," Ash answered.

He was surprised with himself, and somewhat annoyed. May had given him honesty and the full truth – even though she evidently felt uncomfortable doing it - so why couldn't he return the truth.

"Where have you travelled to?" May asked, enthusiastically, leaning in as she awaited Ash's response. Ash was pleased that his vague response hadn't deterred the beautiful brunette, he was thoroughly enjoying her company. This caused a momentary pang of guilt, but he tried to push it away.

"Actually quite a fair bit," Ash answered, "I started my journey here in Kanto, having grown up in Pallet," Ash was amazed at how genuinely intrigued May was, she was paying him all her attention, and Ash found himself somewhat flustered with how she was looking at him. He made sure it didn't show. "I then travelled through Johto, Hoenn –"

"Ohh Hoenn! That's where I grew up," May said, smiling brightly as her home region was mentioned, "actually, I grew up in Cerulean City but we moved when I was quite young," May found herself rambling slightly. Ash couldn't help but smile as she talked, "ohh, I'm sorry for interrupting, that was rude of me!" May scolded herself.

"That's okay! It's nice to know where you came from, and I was reluctant to ask," Ash replied, "I didn't want to seem creepy, _where do you live?!_ " Ash added, putting on a deep, attempted sinister voice as he asked the question. May giggled at his actions, causing Ash to smile wider. Once May had settled down, she gestured for him to go on.

"From Hoenn, I travelled to Sinnoh, Unova and then Kalos," Ash finished, as he did, he also drank the rest of his beer. His attention was drawn away when he realised that everyone was moving tables. His eyes opened in surprise as he noticed that the last woman that had been at his table, prior to May, was now four tables away.

He and May had talked through four changes. The conversation had flown so naturally and easily. Ash found himself reluctant to have her move on. He turned back around and noticed her starting to get up.

"Hey, May," he felt butterflies in his stomach as she laid her incredible blue eyes on him, "what do you say to getting out of here and getting to know each other properly?"

His stomach was doing backflips as he awaited her response. She smiled immediately after he asked the question.

"I'd love to!" Ash let out a small sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding and smiled brightly.

"Awesome! Just let me take the glasses up and I'll meet you outside?" May nodded in agreement, walking towards the exit as Ash picked up their glasses and took them up to the bar. He noticed Brock, looking delighted, and Misty, looking grumpy, stood together by the bell. He also noticed some money exchanging hands.

" _Oooh, I'll get you back,"_ Ash thought, realising that they had placed a bet on him. He quickly shook it off and left the building, smiling at May as they stood side-by-side.

"Where would you like to go?" Ash asked, as the two slowly walked off in the direction of the town centre.

"There's a little restaurant near the university that I absolutely love!" May exclaimed, excitedly, "It's a wonderful Italian I found after my first lecture." Ash smiled at the tone in her voice, and gestured for her to lead the way.

-IBYL-

It took five minutes for them to arrive, and Ash was pleased with his decision to let May pick the venue, it was a quaint, pretty looking building. A genuine Italian gentlemen greeted them as they stepped inside, Ash ensuring he held the door open for May. She gave him a beautiful smile at his gesture, and Ash smiled back. But then he had another wave of guilt. Fortunately, May had already stepped inside. Ash pushed past the guilt once again, and stepped inside too.

The conversation never stopped flowing as they sat, waiting for their various dishes to arrive.

Ash discovered that May was the daughter of Norman, a Normal type Gym Leader he had taken on during his Hoenn journey.

"Your dad was the first Gym Leader I didn't beat at the first time of asking," Ash told May, when she had mentioned her father being the Gym Leader.

"How do you know which Gym Leader he is?" May asked, in a slight teasing tone, as she hadn't mentioned him by name.

"You don't think I recognised the Princess of Hoenn?" Ash teased back, causing a deep blush to form on May's face.

"How did you figure that out?" May asked timidly, her face still red. Ash smiled kindly and rested his hand on hers.

"When you mentioned that you'd won Grand Festivals, and that your name was May, I put two and two together," Ash said kindly, trying to comfort May, "I must say, your Blaziken is an incredibly powerful Pokémon." May smiled at Ash's praise.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that," May then smirked, "so my dad beat you then?" she teased, making Ash chuckle.

"Yeah, his Slaking is one powerful creature, I didn't even come close to it first time around," Ash replied, reminiscing over the battle, "but I came back much more prepared and didn't lose a single Pokémon second time."

May's eyes widened in shock. She remembered her dad mentioning that during one of her phone calls with him. A trainer who completely beat him with only a Pikachu.

"My dad mentioned you once!" Ash was thrown off guard, "he said you beat him with only a Pikachu?" Ash nodded in affirmation. "That's very impressive!"

"Thank you, May," Ash smiled, "Pikachu was my starter, and my strongest Pokémon, I've actually partially retired him from Gym battles as he can be too much for some challengers." May raised an eyebrow at his comment, and Ash realised he hadn't actually said much about what he currently did.

"I'm sorry, I never actually properly answered when you asked what I did!" Ash exclaimed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. May smiled at his apology, "I'm actually the Gym Leader here."

Ash realised that he hadn't actually said that much about himself during the course of the evening, even though the conversation had flowed smoothly, he had subconsciously been keeping it mainly on May. This realisation brought another wave of guilt, one that he had a hard time disguising, but May didn't seem to notice.

"Ash, if you don't mind me asking, what brought someone like you to speed dating?" This question almost broke Ash's steel, but he held the fresh wave of guilt back.

"I could ask you the same thing!" he responded, trying to force himself away from the guilt. May smiled at that response, but clearly waited for Ash to respond, causing him to sigh, "the owners of the bar twisted my arm into going as I haven't dated for a while."

May frowned. "You seem so natural and a really nice person, why have you been on your own for a long time?" she asked. Ash couldn't help it, he physically winced. This was another large reason he was reluctant to have gone.

"I've always needed to prioritise."

"It's like trying to get blood out of a stone with you, isn't it!" May teased, giggling slightly, Ash chuckled as well.

"I'm having a really nice time with you, May, I don't want to bore you with my past!" May smiled.

"I can understand that but I wouldn't judge you for your past, we've all done or had things happen that we're not proud of, we all have some sort of skeleton in our closets," May replied, before giggling again, "sorry, that was a bit much, wasn't it?" Ash chuckled at the comment, but what May had said had really hit home.

"Excuse me, I just need to use the restroom," Ash said, sliding out from the table. They shared a smile as Ash walked to the bathroom. He immediately walked to the sink and splashes his face with water, sighing heavily.

" _No one has ever made me feel like this,"_ Ash thought, _"not even Serena."_

He pushed away the guilt that came with that thought, by quickly checking his phone. There was a text from Brock.

" _Proud of you for coming tonight, even prouder that you met someone who can make you smile properly again. Pop in tomorrow for a catch up."_

Ash smiled at the message, before locking his phone and heading back out. He was startled to see most of the chairs stacked on the tables, and that they were starting to close up. He gestured to the waiter for the bill.

"How time flies when you're having fun?" He quipped to May as he sat back down, the two shared a smile.

"It certainly does," May agreed. The waiter brought the bill over, and Ash quickly claimed it, May didn't even have a chance to react. Ash smirked at her when she glared at him, causing her to stick her tongue out, leading to another laugh between the pair.

"Let me walk you home," Ash said kindly, as he held the door open for May.

"I appreciate that, Ash, but it's really not far," May answered.

"I insist." May smiled, and linked her arm in Ash's.

"Quite the gentlemen, holding the door open, covering the bill, walking me home," May listed off, making Ash blush with each one, "who said chivalry was dead?"

"Actually, the code of chivalry is mainly about fighting, very little in there about opening doors for ladies," Ash joked, smirking. May giggled at him and swatted his arm with her free hand.

"Just take the damn compliment!" she replied, and the two shared a smile.

May hadn't lied about not living far away, less than twenty seconds later they were in front of her door, and Ash found himself disappointed at that.

"I've had such a wonderful time, Ash, thank you so much," May thanked, as she turned to face him.

"It has been much pleasure, May, I've had a great time as well," Ash replied. May held out her hand, with her palm in the air, confusing Ash.

"Phone, you're getting my number so you have no excuse not to arrange another evening," May ordered, keeping her tone light.

"I wouldn't want an excuse," Ash replied smoothly, handing her his phone, unlocked on the new contact page. The pair blushed at Ash's comment. Once she had entered her number, she pressed the call button, when her phone went off, she cancelled the call and handed the phone back.

"Now I have no excuse either," she said, winking at Ash. They stood there for a moment, smiling and blushing, before May stepped forward and hugged Ash. It was a warm embrace. One that Ash found himself missing as soon as it had ended. But May swiftly planted a kiss on his cheek, bringing the warmth flying into his face.

"Goodnight, Ash."

"Goodnight, May," Ash replied, rather dazed. Fortunately, May had gone inside too quickly to notice. Ash stood there for longer than he should have before he came to his senses.

He turned around and headed home.

As soon as he arrived home, he went straight to bed. Guilt, confusion and happiness all flowing through him. He made sure he was quiet as he got into bed, so that he didn't wake Pikachu who was sleeping on the other side of the double.

Ash's heart was pounding as he laid down. He was happier than he'd been in a very long time.

But he was more confused than ever.

 **EOC**

 **Not my best work, but it has been so long I'm rather rusty and I'm trying new writing styles.**

 **Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who offered support on If You Could See Me Now, as I write this, it is over 27,000 views, a number I never, ever thought it would reach. It was one of my favourite pieces to write, and writing it helped me through a dark time in my life. I would also like to thank everyone who offered me personal support – even if they don't read this as it has been far too long – I read and re-read every single review, and that gave me a much needed boost. For fans of that story, and who have requested a sequel, no promises, but there is basic things in the pipeline, but I took it in a direction I'm not happy with, so it could be a long time away. In the meantime, I want to write a few "short" stories, this being one of them.**

 **Secondly, a small update for people who had wondered where I'd been (if there are any), Uni didn't work out, however I did meet someone there, who accepted me in my most broken state and helped fix me, we've been together just under two years now. I'm now doing an apprenticeship for an Exhibition that takes place in London annually.**

 **Lastly, an apology for being gone so long, many reviews on If You Could See Me Now had requested fics from me, but I hadn't been in a good place to write. I've got my motivation back, and importantly (and cheesily) I have myself back, I'm raring to go.**

 **I really hope you enjoy this story, and any other's I write.**

 **For the first time in far too long, I've been Advanced Faith.**


	2. Ash's Secret

**Review (up to 06/09/16) replies in the Author's Note at the end!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

Ash groaned as he started to regain consciousness, rubbing his eyes, he could feel a slight throbbing in his head. Memories of the night before started flooding back to him, and the aching started to subside. His heart rate quickened as he remembered saying goodnight to May, but as quickly as that feeling came, it was replaced by guilt. He frowned.

Ash reached over and grabbed his phone from the bedside table. 9am. He opened his text messages and typed out a reply to Brock's message from the previous night.

" _Hey man, is alright if Pikachu and I come over for some breakfast, and for that catch up you wanted?"_

Ash only had to wait a few minutes before he got an affirmation from Brock. Not feeling like showering just yet, he threw back on the clothes he had worn the night before. Pikachu had started to stir whilst Ash was dressing.

"C'mon buddy," Ash said softly, "we're heading over to Brock and Misty's for breakfast." Pikachu smiled widely, hopping onto Ash's shoulder. They went downstairs and Ash walked over to one of the worktops he had in the kitchen, and grabbed a set of keys, knowing that it was far too early for a drink, and knowing he had to go to the airport later, he decided to drive to the bar.

 **-IBYL-**

"Well hello there, lover boy," Brock teased, as he opened the door for Ash. The latter rolled his eyes.

"Very funny," Ash deadpanned, brushing past Brock, "we just went somewhere we could talk easier." Brock smirked behind Ash's back.

"And what exactly did you and May talk about?" Brock asked. Ash sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm 25 years old and I'm being treated like a teenager," he mumbled, walking through the bar and into the residential area. "Don't you start!" Ash exclaimed, pointing at Misty as he walked in, seeing the teasing look that had formed on her face. Misty, Brock and Pikachu all burst out laughing

"C'mon, Ash, at least give us something?" Brock pleaded, as they all sat down and tucked into their food, "it was really good to see you genuinely smiling."

"Yeah, well, the smiling was just a cover to hide all the guilt I'm feeling," Ash snapped, catching the trio off guard.

"Ohh… Ash…" Misty said sadly, "we're sorry, we didn't mean to offend! We know it's the anni-" Ash cut her off by bursting out laughing himself. Brock and Misty glared at him, having genuinely thought they'd upset him.

"I told myself I'd get you two back for your little wager last night," Ash said smugly, folding his arms cockily across his chest. He then frowned. "But in all seriousness, May and I had a wonderful time."

Brock and Misty smiled at each other.

"There was a genuine connection there," Ash added, leaning back in his chair as he reminisced, "a connection I haven't felt since… Serena," Ash whispered his name. Five years on and it still wasn't any easier. The couple shared a look at Ash's words.

"So, are you gonna arrange another date with May?" Brock asked, trying to take the conversation away from the sad topic. Ash thought about it.

"I don't think so," he said quietly. Misty shot upright in her seat.

"Why not?" she screeched, causing the guys to cover their ears, "you just said you felt a connection?!"

"Woah! Why are you getting so agitated about my dating life?" Ash shot back, feeling fed up with people telling him what's best. Ash sighed as he noticed the look Brock and Misty had shared. "What haven't you told me?"

"Umm…" Misty stammered, "May and I have been friends since childhood… I kinda invited her along once I knew you were coming, I was hoping you two would pick each other out." Ash couldn't say he was surprised, he'd had a feeling they'd pull a stunt like that.

"She mentioned she grew up in Cerulean, before moving to Hoenn," Ash replied, remembering the conversation he'd had with the beautiful brunette.

"We stayed I touch even after she moved out there, turns out she started her journey whilst we were in Johto," Ash raised his eyebrow, wondering why Misty was bringing this up, "you would've met her in Hoenn had you gone there a year earlier."

A comfortable silence enveloped the group as they ate their meals.

"In all seriousness, Ash," Brock started, grabbing the Gym Leader's attention, "what's holding you back? It was plain to see that you saw something in May last night." Ash thought about it.

"I-I'm…" Ash stuttered, before sighing heavily, "I'm afraid." Brock and Misty shared another look.

"Afraid of what? Getting hurt again?" Misty asked gently, trying to prompt Ash to open up, but as May had said the night before, it was like trying to get blood out of a stone. Silence once again fell over the group.

"Partially," Ash answered quietly, "what if she doesn't accept my situation? And I keep getting these feelings of guilt when I notice how I'm feeling about her." The couple pondered Ash's words.

"Well, knowing May as I do," Misty started, "I reckon she'd understand your situation." Ash raised his eyebrow.

"Reckon? I don't want to take the risk," Ash replied, in a tone that almost killed the conversation.

"As for the guilt," Brock said, looking Ash dead in the eyes, "you have to get past this, no matter how hard you find it." Ash took the words in, but he'd been trying to get over it for five years, and had no luck so far. He glanced at his watch.

"Crap! I need to go to the airport!" Ash said, a tone of excitement creeping into his voice, "thanks for the food, guys, and the advice, I'll think about it." Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and waved at Brock and Misty as the raven-haired trainer rushed out of the building. "Hey mum, I know we arranged a dinner tonight, but would it be okay to rearrange for later this week?" the couple heard Ash say on his way out.

"I really hope he gets past it," Misty said quietly, as she and Brock started to clean up, "I think they could really help each other get over their history."

Brock nodded, "I can't get over how good it felt to see him smiling again… Ever since Serena…"

The words hung in the air. They had just finished cleaning up in silence, when there was another knock on the door. This time Misty went to answer it. She opened the door to reveal a brunette wearing a red and white bandanna, along with a red top and black mini skirt.

"May!" Misty said excitedly, as the two embraced, "it's good to properly see you!" May giggled slightly.

"You too, Misty! It's been far too long since we've just sat down and talked!" Misty smirked slightly at this.

"I'm guessing you're here to talk about last night?" She asked, winking at May. The latter blushed profusely, and nodded meekly. "Well come on in, Brock's in the back." The two walked through the bar and into the room that they had just eaten in.

"Hey, May!" Brock greeted, also giving the brunette a hug, "we just finished eating, can I get you anything?" May shook her head.

"No thank you, Brock, surprisingly, Max cooked breakfast for us this morning," May replied, "which was a shock, to say the least."

"How's he doing? I heard he gave this one a beating the other day," Brock teased, jabbing a thumb in Misty's direction.

"Watch it mister!" the red-haired warned, causing May to giggle.

"He's doing well, that was his seventh badge," May answered, but then a confused look settled on her face, "he never actually mentioned how he got on with the Gym here, he just asked if we could train later."

Brock and Misty shared a look. Had Ash not told her he was the Gym Leader? May seemed completely oblivious to the matter.

"That's good to hear," Brock replied, "and how did you find last night?"

The couple smirked as May flushed red.

"I had such a wonderful time," May gushed slightly, "Ash was such a gentlemen, and he has an incredible sense of humour! I'm so glad you advised me to come, Misty." The latter smiled at the brunette.

"I'm just glad you've enjoyed yourself," Misty said, "even more glad now that you're regions away from that scumbag." May frowned, before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Me too, Misty, me too," May muttered, "there was one thing about last night though."

"What's that?" Brock asked, noticing the frown return to May's face.

"Ash didn't really talk about himself much," May answered, "he seemed quite secretive, and _very_ reluctant to talk about his past, even when I tried to comfort him." May sounded downhearted as she spoke. For the umpteenth time that morning, Brock and Misty shared a look.

"I know you can get through to him, May," Misty said, smiling at the hopefulness that crept onto May's face at her words, "if you would like a future with him, just spend more time with him, he'll open up eventually."

May's smile slowly widened as Misty's words sunk in.

"Thanks guys, I needed to hear that," May thanked, "I don't know how or why, but it just feels like I've known him my entire life, I've never connected so easily with someone before."

The couple smiled at May, knowing that Ash had felt that same connection.

"I best get a move on, don't want to keep the brat waiting for his training!" May joked, and the three shared a laugh. They all hugged again, saying their goodbyes.

"Hey, May," Misty said, as May stepped outside the door, "Ash has had kind of a rough deal, he just needs some gentle encouragement." May smiled at Misty's words.

"Thanks, Mist," she replied, "ohh, and thanks for arranging the event last night!" the couple could tell she wanted to say more, but she had decided against it.

"Bye, May!" the brunette waved as she walked down the street.

 **-IBYL-**

Ash laid his head back against the headrest of his car, eyes fixed on the road. A frown formed on the Gym Leader's face. The guilt was back, and this time, he had no one to hide it from. A low groan slipped out of his mouth.

"Why am I feeling guilty?" He mumbled to himself, "its been five years since Serena…" he gulped, just saying her name made his heart ache.

"Pull yourself together!" Ash scolded himself. The feelings were eating away at him, they had been slowly for years. But now? They seemed to be doing it quicker since meeting May.

The thought of the brunette made a smile flicker onto his face briefly. As quickly as it had come, it was replaced by the guilt and heartache.

Ash growled as he arrived at the airport. He sat momentarily, before forcing the issues into the back of his mind.

 **-IBYL-**

It had been a few days since Max had lost at the Gym, and having spent most of the time since training – either on his own or with May – he felt relatively prepared as he climbed the stairs to the Gym, with his sister in tow.

"So you reckon you can beat him this time?" May asked, a slight teasing tone in her voice. Max shot her a glare over his shoulder.

"I hope so," he answered, "I might stand a chance if his other Pokémon are weaker than that Charizard."

"What typing does he use?" May asked, speeding up so she was walking next to her younger brother.

"That's the thing," Max replied, "he doesn't use a set typing." May's eyes widened.

"How will you be able to beat him not knowing his type?"

"He reveals his Pokémon first."

"I s'pose that makes it a bit fairer," May surmised, as they reached the door. They pause for a moment as they hear a voice coming from the back of the building. Max knocked on the door, and they waited patiently. The voice continued. May huffed slightly and rang the doorbell. The voice stopped, and they could hear a door sliding open.

May gasped inaudibly as the door swung open. _"Of course!"_ she thought, _"how did it slip my mind?!"_

"Hey, Max," Ash greeted, as he realised who was in front of him, shaking Max's hand, "here for your rematch?"

Ash's eyes flicked to the person stood behind Max. His heart jumped into his throat.

" _No, no, no!"_ Ash thought, managing to keep a smile on his face, _"not like this…"_

"Hey, May!" he said, making sure sounded enthusiastic, "I'm guessing you're the sister Max mentioned last time he battled?" Ash asked, as he stepped forward and greeted her with a hug. She quickly got over her shock and hugged him back briefly.

"You two know each other?" the siblings asked each other, in unison, once the hug had ended. Ash raised his eyebrow, amused.

"Did you two not talk about our match at all?" Ash asked, his amusement creeping into his voice, "Max challenged me and briefly mentioned he had a sister, and May and I met a couple of days ago at some friends of mine's bar," Ash explained, he gestured to the inside of his house, "would you two like to come in?" Max shook his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll leave you two to it," he answered, "I could use some more training before I actually challenge you again." Ash nodded in response, before turning his attention to May.

"The offer still stands?" His heart pounded as he awaited May's answer.

She smiled brightly, "I'd love to."

"I'll catch up with you later, May," Max said, as he turned to leave, "I'll be back to challenge you again soon, Ash." Max smirked as he turned his back.

"See you later, Max!" Ash and May said in unison, causing them both to blush slightly. Ash holds his arm out, gesturing inside once again.

"After you, madam," He said, smirking and bowing slightly.

"Why thank you, good sir," May joked back, giggling slightly as she spoke. Ash smiled as he followed May in.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Ash offered, heading over to the kitchen, whilst May took a seat on the sofa.

"Just a soft drink, if you have one," May answered, skirting her eyes around Ash's home. There was a large coffee table in the middle of the room, with sofa's either side. Directly behind these were a set of sliding, glass doors, which May could see led out onto the back of the estate. There was another sofa, which had a smaller coffee table in front of it, just to the side of those doors, aiming to May's left, where there was a large plasma TV on the wall. Diagonally left, and below, the TV was a fire place, with a large mirror above that. On top of the fire place, she could make out what appeared to be picture frames, lying face down. Just to the left of that was a narrow entrance that seemed to curve around, with stairs there.

May glanced over to the direction Ash had gone. There was a worktop directly behind the sofa, as the kitchen and the living room were connected, with a gap in between the "sofa worktop" and another, larger worktop that stretched across the rest of the room. There was no real wall, so May could see Ash moving around the kitchen. There was a breakfast table in the middle of the kitchen, and on the far side, there were cupboards up along the wall. She watched Ash walk to the fridge, which was in line with the sofa that faced the TV. He pulled out a bottle of soda water, and a fresh lime. He poured some lime cordial into two pint glasses, followed by the soda water. He quickly and efficiently sliced up the lime, and with a quarter of it in each hand, he squeezed them into a glass each, before dropping the lime in. He placed the rest of the lime back in the fridge, shutting the door afterwards. Ash grabbed the two glasses, and pushed them up against the fridge door. A couple of ice cubes dropped into the drinks.

"Thank you, Ash," May thanked, accepting the drink.

"I hope you like lime and soda," Ash said, taking a sip of his, "I just find it much more refreshing than cola or lemonade." May smiled.

"I agree, I'd say it's my favourite soft drink." Ash smiled at that, it was his as well.

"So, you forgot I was the Gym Leader?" Ash teased, as the two sat down on the sofa by the sliding door. May blushed slightly.

"It may have slipped my mind," She mumbled, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Ash chuckled.

"It's okay, I don't like to brag about it too much," Ash said, "I've found it brings the wrong kind of attention."

May understood that feeling. So many times she had been approached by men who just wanted to get to know her because of her success.

"I understand that," she voiced her thoughts, "I've had plenty of attention, _just_ because I won a Grand Festival." She made no attempt to hide the disgust in her voice. Ash nodded in agreement, people who mocked him for his poor display in the Kanto League quickly tried to get into his good books after he beat the Johto League.

"I was thinking, Ash," May's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "when did you travel to Hoenn? I can't believe I would have missed your battle with my dad." Ash considered this.

"Well I saw Misty the other day, and she happened to mention that you left for your journey the year before I travelled to Hoenn," May nodded, and watched Ash expectantly, wanting him to tell her more about his journey, he obliged, "I started my journey at 10, it took me a year to go through Kanto, and then a year and a half through Johto."

"I was 10 when I started my journey as well," May commented, she worked out, from the information, that Ash must be 25. They'd never actually told each other their ages.

"So that means you're… 22?" Ash questioned, feeling a bit stupid for not asking sooner. May smiled at their synchronised thinking.

"Actually, I'm 23," May answered, "it would've been easier for me to say I was almost 11 when I started my journey, my dad was reluctant to let me leave," she pondered this for a moment, "we still would've travelled Hoenn at the same time, if that were the case?"

Ash thought about that, "I took a break after beating the Johto League, I wanted to let the excitement die down before travelling again," he explained, "I'm 25, by the way," he said, smirking.

"I figured that out myself, thank you!" May teased, winking at him. The two shared a laugh. When they had settled down, May gestured for Ash to continue telling her about his journey.

"Ohh!" He exclaimed, realising he hadn't finished, "I then spent a year in Hoenn and Sinnoh, I actually spent two years in Unova, and then my last journey was through Kalos, which was also around a year," Ash finished, mentally counting the years that he had been on the road, "I also spent six months taking on the Kanto Battle Frontier."

May's eyes widened in surprise, "that's a lot of travelling!" Ash smiled slightly.

"I think that works out as being on the road for… Eight years?" Ash roughly estimated, "I decided to settle down slightly when I was 18," he added, "I took on various other challenges that people offered me until I was 20, when I became Gym Leader." May's eyes widened in surprise.

"You were the Gym Leader when you were 20?!" May exclaimed, Ash nodded in response. May was very impressed at that, even though she'd known other Gym Leader's to be younger, she was well aware of Pallet Town's reputation of being the strongest in the region. "By the way, you have a really lovely house," May complimented, gazing around the room again. Ash smiled.

"Thank you, May," he replied, "this actually used to be Professor Oak's laboratory, but it so happened that I got the role as Gym Leader at the same time that he upgraded to a bigger facility, so I bought it off him, and converted the lab into a living space, and built a battlefield for the Gym just outside," Ash explained, pointing out of the back door to where he and Max had fought the other day.

"That's awesome! You've done a really nice job with the place!" May complimented, still looking around the room.

Ash gulped quietly as the guilt settled on him again. _"Serena did most of it…"_ he thought. He took a large swig of his drink, trying to snap himself out of it. It wasn't fair to May.

"Would you like a top up?" Ash asked, standing up to head to the kitchen.

"I'm alright for now, thank you," May replied, she was amazed at the décor of the place, trying to imagine what it was like here when it was Oak's lab. Ash smiled at the look on her face, before turning to make his drink.

May's eyes settled on the larger coffee table in the middle of the room, and something caught pink caught her eye. She walked over and felt her stomach drop.

Ash mentally kicked himself as he made his drink, his back turned to May. _"Pull it together, Ash!"_ he scolded himself again, _"Five years!"_ it had become a mantra to him. He finished making his drink and turned to walk back into the room. He froze in his tracks as he saw May.

She was holding a pink hairbrush. Ash's heart leapt into his mouth.

" _I knew this would happen,"_ Ash thought, _"why didn't I make an excuse?!"_

He sighed, dejectedly.

"I guess I should explain," He said, walking over to the coffee table they had been sat by, placing his drink down. Ash then made his way over to May and gently took the hairbrush from her. He looked at it momentarily.

"You don't have to explain anything, Ash, I just assumed you were single, attending a speed dating event and all, but -" May said quickly, trying to hide her disappointment and pain. She quickly moved back over to the other sofa and took a large gulp of her drink.

"No, no, no!" Ash rejected quickly, moving over and grabbing May's hand, guiding her to sit down next to him, "it's nothing like that." He squeezed her hand at attempted reassurance, May met his eyes, and a huge wave of guilt crashed over him. She looked so hurt.

" _Somebody has done that to her before,"_ Ash figured out. His feelings turned to anger. " _How could someone treat this amazing, beautiful, funny woman in such a way?"_

The way he had thought about May made his anger turned to guilt. He couldn't hide his pain this time.

May watched Ash closely, and notice him physically wince. _"Whatever he's trying to say, it must be really tearing him up inside,"_ May thought. She then remembered what Misty had told her earlier.

" _Ash has had kind of a rough deal…"_

"Umm… y'see… I… I…" Ash's stammering brought May out of her thoughts, and the look on his face melted her heart. She shifted her hand, which Ash was already holding, so that she could interlock their fingers, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Ash, if it's too har-" May attempted to comfort Ash, and reassure him that he didn't have to tell her if it was too painful, but Ash cut her off, having been given the strength to tell her by her actions.

"I have a daughter."

 **EOC**

 **So there it is. Ash's secret is out! How will May react?**

 **A slightly shorter chapter, but I feel there was more development in this one than Chapter 1, and feel happier about this one. Hopefully you all enjoy it as well!**

 **I've added a bit more of the slight AU background there, with more to come in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you to each and every one of you who favourited and alerted to the story! It had a much better reception than I had expected!**

 **As for length of this, I have one more chapter roughly sketched out, and the possibility for a fourth, but at this moment, I can't see it stretching much further than that. I have a couple of other small projects I would also like to work on, but being a stereotypical guy, I can't juggle them both at once!**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **WHAT IS MY THIS: I really appreciate your kind words! Grammar is a very big thing for me, I can't count the amount of stories I've read on here that have very good plots, but are ruined by poor grammar. A pet peeve of mine, so I'm really glad you think mine was good! I hope the plot holes were rectified somewhat here, they were slightly intentional, to try and keep readers hanging!**

 **PRAETORFABLE: Familiar face number 1! Thank you so much for your review! That means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

 **ABOZ567: (Familiar face number 2!) I'm really grateful for you reading this, and grateful for the review you left on If You Could See Me Now, it's astonishing and heartwarming to see a familiar face to my stories. It's great to be back! Thank you! As I mention before, a couple of more chapters for sure, but once I've finished what I planned for this story, I'd be happy to try and create some "oneshots" carrying on in this universe! And might I add, I am really, REALLY, enjoying "How to Change a Life," I'll be completely honest, reading your story helped me get motivated to start re-writing again!**

 **KODAKOHL: (Familiar face number 3!) And as I said above, I'm so grateful that you're still a fan (if I may be so bold as to call you a fan), as with grammar, details are another big thing for me. I like to think I have a vivid imagination, and want to be able to present exactly what I'm imaging to the readers. As for Ash and May knowing each other… I lot of that is to do with their pasts. For this fic to go the way I'd like it to, I needed them to have not travelled together. The "recognising" each other was kind of a last minute idea, just to add a bit more of a connection between the two.**


	3. Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pok** **émon.**

There was a lengthy silence after Ash's revelation. But neither seemed to notice, they were too caught up in their own heads.

May had frozen, not through shock, but through relief, she'd braced herself for him being taken, and _her_ being taken for a mug again, she barely had gotten over what had happened to her, another one would be a finisher.

Ash breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. It was out there. There was no going back now, and he felt better for it.

"Where is she?" May broke the silence, catching Ash's eye and smiling softly at him, "I'd really love to meet her! Ohhh!" May exclaimed, gushing slightly, "what's her name? How old is she?" Ash smiled and May's enthusiasm, a smile which quickly turned to a relieved chuckle.

"She's upstairs having a nap, she came back from her grandparents yesterday, so she's a bit tuckered out," Ash answered, "he name is Georgia, and she's five, she'll be six in a couple of weeks, actually."

May smiled brightly as Ash spoke. She was amazed at how he lit up whenever he spoke about his daughter, the sparkle she'd noticed in his eye, just seemed to be that much brighter.

But she'd also noticed how he said "her grandparents," which raised another question. One that Ash braced himself for, knowing that he'd let it slip.

"If you don't mind me asking, Ash," May began, rather hesitant to ask the intruding question, "what happened with you and her mother?" May asked gently. She figured that this was the past that Ash had been reluctant to discuss the other night.

"Errr…" Ash's mouth had drastically dried up, it felt like his mouth had turned to a desert. May placed her spare hand on top of their already interlocked hands, and gave it another gentle squeeze, offering her support.

"It's okay if it's too much," May offered, speaking as softly and genuinely as she could, "I imagine this is a lot to let out." Ash paused momentarily.

"I need to, it's just too hard to say," He replied, "I will, eventually." May smiled softly at him, a gesture he returned. "I'm really sorry to drop this on you so soon, but I really feel like I connect with you, and felt you deserved the truth the other night, but I just couldn't, and partly still can't, get it out." Ash looked up at May properly, and noticed her eyes brimming with tears.

"That was so sweet, Ash!" May exclaimed, pulling the raven-haired man into a hug. They stayed like that for a while. "Did you and the mother split up raising her, if you weren't together?" May asked gently, as they pulled apart. Ash gulped, and felt a pang in his chest, but noticeably not as much as before.

"Uhh… I actually raised her all by myself," May's eyes widened in shock, she couldn't believe any mother wouldn't want the opportunity to raise their child, but kept her thoughts to herself, the mother was obviously a difficult subject for Ash. "I've had a good support system though, my mum lives down the road, I've had Misty and Brock who've helped whenever they can, even Professor Oak," Ash explained. As he spoke, May interlocked their hands again, and offered him another encouraging smile, making it much easier for him to open up.

"It has really been a challenge balancing spending the time she needs, along with my duties as the Gym Leader and Elite Four member."

May's eyes shot open in shock. Ash chuckled slightly.

"I forgot to mention the Elite Four, didn't I?" Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his spare hand.

"Errr, just a little bit?" May said sarcastically, "you're a Kanto Elite Four member?!" she exclaimed, not offended that he hadn't mentioned it, just surprised.

"Technically, it's just temporary," Ash answered, chuckling a little bit at May's response, "one of the previous members is… quite badly ill."

"Oh no, that's awful!" May said sadly. Ash nodded in agreement.

"So it kinda slipped my mind because I'm not _officially_ an Elite Four member." May nodded in understanding. May went to speak, but heard a little patter of footsteps.

"Daddy?" they heard a little voice coming from upstairs. Ash smiled at his little girl's voice, which made May smile at his reaction.

"Down here sweetheart." A few moments later, a little girl appeared at the narrow entrance that May had noticed earlier on. She had light brown hair, and her eyes were a similar shade to her father's. May could see that the girl had the same "Z" marks under her eyes that Ash did. She was rubbing said eyes tiredly with her right hand, holding Pikachu tightly in the other arm.

May smiled at the cute mannerisms of the girl, and the cute little pink pyjama set she had on, not at all dissimilar to a set May used to wear when she was younger. Ash stands up, and walks over to her, scooping her (and Pikachu in the process) up onto his left arm, where she sat.

"Did you have a good nap, Georgia?" Ash asked, and the girl nodded enthusiastically. Pikachu shifted from Georgia's hug, onto his usual perch of Ash's shoulder. Georgia's eyes fell onto May, and she cocked her head slightly in confusion.

"Daddy," She said, looking back up at Ash, "who's the pretty lady?" May felt the blood rush to her face at the question, a blush she couldn't hide. One that made Ash smirk.

"Georgia, this is May," Ash introduced, as May stood up and walked over to the duo, "May, this is my daughter, Georgia."

"Hi Georgia," May greeted, "it's wonderful to meet you." Georgia smiled, and cutely extended her arm. May smiled as she shook the little girl's hands, finding her behaviour adorable.

"Hopefully, we'll be seeing a lot more of May," Ash commented, catching the brunette's eye and smiling. May blushed again, but returned Ash's smile.

"You definitely will be," May replied, not breaking the eye contact with Ash. There was so much untold pain in Ash's eyes, but the way he looked at her… It sent shivers down her spine. There was so much passion in those eyes, it unnerved her, but most certainly in a good way.

"Is May going to be having dinner with us and nanny?" Georgia's question snapped the adults out of their passionate staring contest. Ash looked at May, raising his eyebrow to ask the question.

"I'd love to," May answered, smiling at the father and daughter.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot I'd invited my mum around for dinner," Ash apologised, once again rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. May giggled.

"I'd love to meet the woman who raised you," May replied, a complimenting tone to her voice. Ash blushed slightly.

Georgia wriggled out of his grip, and onto the floor.

"May, can I show you the corral?" She asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in front of the brunette. Once again, May found the girl's quirks adorable, and smiled brightly.

"Of course!" Georgia's face lit up, and she grabbed May's hand, pulling her towards the sliding door and out into the corral. Ash shared a look with Pikachu, and the two chuckled at Georgia's display of a very "typical Ash" level of excitement, before following them out.

Ash watched from a slight distance with pride. Georgia went around pointing out every single one of Ash's Pokémon by name.

"You never would've guessed she's the daughter of a Gym Leader stroke Elite Four member!" May joked, throwing Ash a smile over her shoulder. Ash chuckled.

" _I can't believe I've met someone who interacts with her so well,"_ he thought, _"and someone I connect with so well…"_

He's pegged by a momentary flash of guilt as Serena appeared in his mind once again.

" _You were my first love…"_ he thought sadly. A conversation he'd had with his mother a few years ago came into his mind. She'd told him that even though she was his first love, she didn't have to be his _only_ love.

Baring that in mind, Ash approached May and Georgia, an unwavering smile on his face. May catches his eye as he stood next to her.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked quietly, so not to disturbed Georgia's flow of naming his Pokémon. Ash just watched for a bit longer.

"I'm just happy."

 **-IBYL-**

Ash and May continue to be shown around the corral by Georgia. May kept getting amazed at how easily Georgia could point out and name the different Pokémon. She was the most adorable little girl May had ever seen. It just made her angrier that her mother wasn't around to help Ash raise her.

They mooched around the corral for a couple of hours, before Ash decided he best get back and start preparing dinner.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" May asked, as she and Georgia re-entered the house, just a few minutes after Ash. Georgia quickly ran over to the stairs, heading up them to go get changed out of her pyjamas.

"No, thank you," Ash replied, as he chopped up some vegetables, "feel free to help yourself to drinks whilst I'm cooking, there's a bottle of white in the fridge, and a couple of bottles of red in one of the cupboards in the breakfast table."

May smiled at Ash's generosity. "Thank you." She walked over to the fridge and took out the bottle of wine. She poured herself some, and gestured to Ash, asking if he wanted any. He shook his head.

"Thank you, but I'm gonna grab myself a beer in a moment," Ash replied, as he washed a few potatoes in the sink. May smiled and went back to the fridge, taking out a beer and unscrewing the top. She placed it down next to Ash and the pair shared a smile.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," May replied, placing a gentle hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash winced slightly at the rush of guilt that hit him once again. _"I thought I'd stop feeling this when I told her about Georgia?"_ he thought. He snapped himself out of those thoughts when he heard the doorbell go.

Washing his hands, he walked over to the front door, before pausing and turning to face May.

"Just… brace yourself," he warned, a nervous smile on his face. "It's been a while since my mum's seen me have dinner with someone," Ash elaborated, noticing the questioning look on May's face. May blushed at Ash's explanation.

"Hey mum," Ash greeted Delia, as he opened the door, "how are you?"

"I'm good thank you," a smiling Delia replied, embracing her son. As she did, she noticed someone standing nervously in the background. A stunning brunette.

"And who's this beautiful young thing?" Delia asked, as the mother and son entered the house properly.

"This is May," Ash introduced, his face scarlet, "May, this is my mum, Delia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum," May said politely, extending her hand. She was shocked when Delia pulled her in for a hug.

"It's lovely to meet you too, May," Delia replied, "and please, call me Delia."

May nodded, too shocked to verbally reply. Ash smiled at the scene, before another wave of guilt hit him.

" _Stop it!"_ he scolded himself.

"So you've finally invited a girl round for dinner?" Delia's teasing tone snapped him out of his thoughts. Delia pinching his cheek, however, just irritated him. He glared at her as she smirked. May giggled at the interaction.

"It wasn't even him who invited me, it was Georgia!" May exclaimed, still giggling. Delia's face immediately turned stern, and she glared at Ash. May gulped, thinking she'd said something wrong.

"Ash Ketchum!" Delia said, in a raised voice, "my granddaughter is back and you didn't eveb tell me?!" Ash winced at his mother's scolding.

"I've been busy!" Ash replied, lamely, before walking over to the bottom of the stairs, "Georgia, nan's here!"

Once again there was a little pattering of feet and Georgia appeared from around the corner, Pikachu sat on her head. She charged over to Delia and hugged her legs. Pikachu jumped up onto Delia's shoulder and nuzzled her face.

"Hi nanna!" Georgia greeted excitedly, staring up at Delia with sparkling eyes.

"Hey sweetheart!" Delia said, just as enthusiastically, "did you enjoy your holiday?" Delia scooped up her granddaughter as she asked.

"Yeah, I like Kalos, but I love Pallet!" Georgia exclaimed, just as excitedly as she had greeted Delia. May's eyes widen in surprise.

" _She travels to Kalos to see her grandparents?"_

"I had Elite Four duties to attend to, and she hadn't seen them in a while," Ash explained, noticing May's confused look. She nodded in understanding.

"That's still quite a way to travel," May replied, watching Ash's expression carefully. He sighed quite heavily.

"Yeah, it's too far for her sometimes," a small sad look crossed his face, "mum, can I get you a drink?"

"The usual please, son," Delia answered, still showering Georgia with attention.

"You can all sit up now, it should be ready soon," Ash told them, as he walked over to the fridge to pour his mother's drink. The girls sat up around the breakfast table, with Georgia at the head of the table, where there was a chair not too dissimilar to a high chair, Delia and May on either side, once Delia had fastened Georgia in.

"What are we having, honey?" Delia asked, having a sip of her drink.

"My little girl," Ash started, bringing over Georgia's dinner, "is having mash potato, sausages and veg." He patted her head softly, smiling at the look of excitement that burst onto her face.

"My favourite!" She exclaimed, pretty much bouncing in her seat.

"We're having Fruitte di Mare," Ash added, bringing over Delia and May's plates. May gasped at the dish in front of her. This was her favourite! She could see mussels, prawns and squid all in there. Ash sat down at the other end of the table, with his food and a beer.

"This looks delicious, Ash! Thank you," May said, "and my favourite dish!" She winked at Georgia as she spoke. The little girl giggled in response.

"I'm glad," Ash replied, "mum, yours doesn't have squid in, so I added some salmon in to compensate."

"Thank you, Ash," Delia said gratefully, smiling at her son, "how's things with the Gym?"

"Good thanks," Ash answered as they tucked in.

"Good?" May questioned, "he absolutely pummelled my brother, by all accounts," she told Delia, smirking. Delia raised her eyebrow.

"Your brother?"

"Max, he's hoping to take on the Kanto League," May explained, "I find it quite amusing, because Ash is one of his idols." Ash blushed slightly. Delia smiled, she always got filled with pride at her son's accomplishments.

"Please," Ash scoffed slightly, "He saw me in one tournament." Ash winked at May, who just smirked.

"Actually, he followed your entire career after that, as much as he could." Ash's jaw dropped.

"Daddy, you always say it's rude to stare," Georgia pointed out, after a minute had gone by with Ash still stunned. Delia and May giggled at Ash being told off by his daughter.

"Do as I say, not as I do," Ash replied quickly, winking at Georgia, who giggled at the action.

"So, May," Delia started, "have we ever met before? You seem really familiar," she added gently. May smiled, blushing slightly.

"May's a Top Coordinator," Ash said, smirking at the flustered brunette. Delia gasped.

"That's where I recognise you from! You won the Kanto Grand Festival a few years back," Delia exclaimed, "your Glaceon was majestic."

"Thank you, Delia," May thanked timidly, her face still red. She shot a look at Ash, who stuck his tongue out in response. Georgia giggled.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in Pallet Town?" Delia asked, curious as to why the Petalburg girl was so far away from home.

"I've recently moved here," May explained, "I've taken a job at the University, lecturing in Pokémon Coordination." Delia was surprised again.

"You're so young to be a lecturer!" Delia complimented, very impressed at the young lady's CV. May smiled. The smile turned to a smirk as she looked at Ash.

"Ash over there's young to be an Elite Four member," May teased, Ash jokingly glared at her, "but, if I may say, Delia," May continued, turning her attention back to the young grandmother, "you've raised a wonderful and talented young man." Ash blushed heavily at the compliment.

"Daddy, are you ill? You keep going red!" Georgia exclaimed, drawing Delia and May's attention to the flustered Gym Leader. Ash's heart pounded. He refused to meet either of the woman's gaze.

Ash's eyes glazed over slightly, the guilt was overwhelming this time. He barely managed to take in the rest of the conversation.

"Thank you, May," Delia replied, "it was quite hard, I had to raise him on my own." There was no bitterness in her voice as she spoke, but Ash's expression hardened. Anger mixed with his guilt, but somehow, he managed to keep a calm exterior.

"On your own? Do you mind me asking what happened?" May asked softly, not wanting to push her luck. Delia smiled softly and sadly.

"His father couldn't handle the idea of being a father so young," Delia explained, "I had Ash when I was 18."

"So… you both managed to raise fantastic children on your own?" May asked. Delia's eyes snapped wide open. Had Ash really told someone about Serena? The mother and son shared a look.

"Yes, although Ash's situation is very different to mine," Delia replied, knowing that Ash hadn't told May the full story.

"Excuse me," Ash said quietly, standing up from the table without making eye contact with anyone. He walked outside into the corral. As soon as he slid the door across, the leant his back against the wall next to it, and slid down until he was sat on the floor. He put his head in his hands, slowly moving his hands up until he gripped his hair.

"Pikapi?" Ash peeked through his fingers at his longest companion. Pikachu's ears were drooped back against his head, seeing Ash in this state.

"Why can't I let her go?" Ash mumbled at Pikachu. The latter cooed, hopping into Ash's lap and snuggling up to him, trying his best to comfort the distressed Gym Leader. The anger, sadness and guilt, it built up in him until he could barely contain it. Tears slipped down his face, and dropped onto the top of Pikachu's head. In response, the electric mouse just snuggled in further.

Pikachu had been there from the start. He'd seen Ash and Serena grow from childhood friends, to crushes, to first loves. For five years, he'd seen Ash sneak away when Georgia was asleep, and just stare at the sky. This was five years of bottled up emotions.

"Chuuuuuu."

"It's so hard," Ash cried quietly, it was under this duress, under the influence of the deep, destructive emotions that he made a snap decision, "I can't see May again." Pikachu's head snapped up to look at Ash.

"I'm too damaged, Pikachu," Ash said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I can barely look after myself and Georgia, it wouldn't be fair."

"Don't you think that's something I should have a say on?" Ash slowly looked up at the source of the voice. He was hurting too much to fully realise that May had heard his monologue. He was too hurt to be affected by the distraught look on her face.

"I… I can't get over her," Ash said, just loud enough that May could hear. May's heart broke. For the third time she'd fallen for a guy who was already in love with someone else.

"Even though she abandoned you and your child?" May snapped, the pain too much. She immediately regretted what she'd said when she saw Ash's face. It contorted in what looked like a mixture of pain and anger.

"I think you should leave." His voice came out level and calm, but there was a distinct and powerful anger. May felt tears prick her eyes.

"Ash, I'm really sorry," she apologised, "that wasn't fair of me, I was just h-"

"No it wasn't fair, not an Arceus damned part of it was," Ash snapped, shooting to his feet, " _life isn't fair."_

Pikachu was shocked, he'd never seen Ash growl so aggressively at someone. May looked terrified, but she took a deep breath and her demeanour became composed.

"I'm really sorry for whatever you've been through," May apologised genuinely, "just know, I've had such a wonderful time getting to know you and your family, and I really hope you heal someday… I just wish you would've let me help…"

May stepped forward and gave Ash a brief hug, before reaching down and petting Pikachu on the head.

"Goodbye, Ash Ketchum."

He barely had time to blink before she was gone. Ash slowly walked back into the house, dazed and broken. He barely noticed Delia and Georgia loading up the dishwasher.

"Mum… please take Georgia tonight." It came out as an order.

Ash skulked upstairs, not even paying attention to his mother's calling of his name.

He collapsed onto the bed and the emotional drain caught up with him. Ash practically passed out but as he did, he mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry…"

 **EOC**

 **I'm so surprised at how quickly I'm getting these out… I'm slightly disappointed at the length of the chapter… But I hope it's a case of quality over quantity! I'm in love with this story and I really hope you all are as well. This story has taken a different direction to what I had initially planned. The initial plan had this chapter ending very joyously but** _ **I**_ **wasn't happy. Not enough drama for this guy! Steering away from the initial plan should elongate this story by a few chapters at least.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES (Up to 07/09/16):**

 **P14Y3R: Thank you! I really appreciate your comments, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**

 **BLAZINGCHARIZARD01: I'm glad you're enjoying this and that I'm keeping you guessing! I can guarantee I won't be leaving this alone until it's finished!**

 **CHLOBOSHOKA: Thank you for all the reviews you put on my Fanfictions, I hope that didn't keep you up too late! I'm glad there's a noticeable difference in my writing. I do like to read over my old work on occasion, I feel like it's matured as I've got older.**

 **PRAETORFABLE: Much appreciated! She took it well, but Ash certainly didn't!**

 **ULTRATRON: I'm very pleased to see another familiar name! It's great to be having another story up! Yep! And that's just one of the secrets he's keeping from May ;)**

 **BLACKRUBYADV: *Blushes* I'd hardly consider myself famous… But thank you for the compliment! I'm incredible proud that I've introduced you to such a wonderful Shipdom… It's been my personal favourite, and having not watch the Anime since the Sinnoh arc finished, it always will be! Once Ash's past is finally uncovered, May's will be touched upon. It's my pleasure and I'm honoured that you've spoken so highly of me!**

 **AMERAINWOMAN: I really appreciate this review, and you're not just a person reading behind the screen, I value everyone who reads my stories, whether they make themselves known or not! I'm really glad you're enjoying this! I'm loving writing this and I don't feel rushed by the readers at all, I feel rushed by my brain! I can't get this story out of my head, and want to get the thoughts down as quick as possible! I'm glad the story is flowing well and I'm glad the plot twist wasn't expected!**

 **Thank you to all of you who Fave'd and Alerted.**

 **I've been Advanced Faith, and you have all been awesome! =D**


	4. May's Secret

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

" _ **Burn me alive, if you feel that's justified.**_

 _ **Burn me alive, if you feel that's justified.**_

 _ **Burn me alive, if you feel that's justified.**_

 _ **I need more than faith, to see you on the other side."**_

Ash groaned. His head pounded. He cracked one eye open to see why he was being called at this ungodly hour.

"Hello?" he croaked, not recognising the caller ID.

"Hello Ash, m'dear," an elderly lady replied, Ash smiled softly at Agatha's voice.

"Agatha! How are you doing?" He asked, his voice still not quite adjusting to being awake.

"Not well, Ash," she replied bluntly. Ash had quickly got used to Agatha's "to the point" attitude. "I don't have as much time as I'd like." Ash frowned at this.

"Last I heard, you were doing better?" Ash asked. He heard the elderly Elite Four member groan as she seemingly shifted position.

"Not anymore," Agatha replied, "so I'd like our battle. As soon as possible." Ash cracked a small smile, despite the circumstances.

"I'd be honoured, name the time and place," Ash replied, he was pleased he'd have the chance to earn his place on the Elite Four.

"Two weeks, Indigo Plateau," Agatha replied. Ash could tell there was a smirk on her face. "Broadcast to the whole world."

 _Now_ she was talking.

"Are you sure you want the whole world to witness your defeat?" Ash teased, even though there was a large age gap between the two, they'd got along well. Agatha wheezed out a laugh. Ash frowned, finally realising how ill she was.

"I don't want to be an arse or anything," Ash started, "but are you positive you're up for it?"

Agatha laughed properly this time. "Of course, nothing like a Pokémon battle to put some life in the old bones." The two shared a brief laugh.

"I look forward to it," Ash said, "I'll see you in two weeks."

"Bye, Ash."

Ash's smirk faded as soon as he hung up. The gravity of the situation dawned on him.

" _This is her final wish,"_ he thought, grimly. _"She wants one of the last things she does to be battling me. I won't let her down."_

Ash pulled himself out of bed, preparing himself to get dressed. He stopped in his tracks when he realised he was fully clothed. Ash's eyes shot wide open as the memories came flooding back. All the awful things that were said. Guilt smashed into him like a freight train. He couldn't believe how horrible he had been.

"Idiot!" He scolded himself, grabbing his forehead in frustration. He picked up his phone and went to go on his contacts to try and call her. He froze when he saw he had three messages. Misty. Delia and… May.

" _I'm so sorry for how yesterday turned out, I hope you're okay, I'll take Georgia out today so you don't have to worry. Get your head sorted."_ Was the message from Delia.

" _Why on Arceus' Earth have I just had May come to me in tears saying she's blown things with you?! Call her, moron!"_ Misty. Ash gulped as he clicked on the message from May.

" _I'm sorry. Call me if you ever want to chat."_

Guilt smacked him round the face. As did his right hand.

"You pushed a woman like that away?" He shouted at himself, "how incredibly she got on with Georgia and you go and do that?!"

Ash's mind felt frazzled, but for the first time in a long time, he had clarity.

" _I'm sorry… I have to let you go…"_

 **-IBYL-**

"May! You'll really wanna come and see this!" Misty shouted up the stairs. She heard a frustrated grunt in response.

"What?" May barked. She was getting ready to go and teach a lecture, and with what had happened the night before, she was in a fairly foul mood.

"Just hurry!"

May growled at Misty's orders, but trudged downstairs. She walked into the living area of the bar, and found both Brock and Misty watching the TV.

"What is it?" May asked. She felt a pang in her chest as she saw Ash's face appear on the screen.

" _Breaking news, once again for you,"_ the newsreader said, as the image cut to clips of Ash's various battles through his journey, _"Ash Ketchum, Pallet Town Gym Leader, will be facing off with Elite Four member Agatha. It is believed that if Mr. Ketchum comes out of it victorious, he will take Agatha's spot as Elite Four member."_

May smiled. Even though they'd said awful things to each other the night before, it warmed her heart to know that Ash was going to have a chance to become an Elite Four member permanently.

"He must be so excited," Misty commented, but there was an edge to her voice. Ash had angered her, because he was too stubborn to let his emotions out five years ago, it was ruining his chances of a relationship with a beautiful and _understanding_ woman.

"I'll have to congratulate him," May said, reaching for her phone. She went to write the text, but had her phone snatched from her hand.

"You will do no such thing," Misty ordered, "the way Ash spoke to you last night? You can wait for him to apologise." May frowned.

"Misty, with all due respect, you're not my mother," May replied, strolling up to the red head and taking her phone back, preparing to send Ash a text. But she hesitated. Maybe Misty was right? There was obviously something about his past that was holding him back… If she waited until he came to her, then that would suggest he was over it.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Misty teased, noticing May's hesitation. The latter blushed.

"Yeah, yeah, don't let it go to your head!" May joked back, she looked at the time on her phone, "I best head off to the University, I don't want to keep the students waiting."

 **-IBYL-**

There seemed to be a strange buzz amongst May's students, like they all had ants in their pants. May's lecture hall was laid out almost exactly like a Contest Hall, with a big screen up on the wall, above the battlefield. Where the Judges desk usually was, was a desk with some of her papers on them. Then there was a two-tiered seating system. The room was so big she had to use a microphone to talk to the students, but the way the acoustics worked in the room, she could hear them if they spoke normally.

"So, scenario," May said, "you've made it into the battle rounds, and it's a two vs two. You're opponent sends out a Lapras and a Flygon. What Pokémon would you use?"

"I'd personally use a Starmie," a male voice said. It sounded familiar to May, but she couldn't place it. The choice surprised her.

"And why would you pick that?" she asked, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"Ice Beam for the Flygon, and Thunderbolt for the Lapras," the voice answered, "not to mention the fact that Starmie can learn Recover. Balance that with a Grass or Fairy Type, say Whimsicott, for example, the other pair won't be able to land many moves. Not to mention a Razor Leaf/Ice Beam combination is going to seriously damage that Flygon."

May was astonished, the class had only been running a couple of weeks, she was supposed to be teaching them those kind of techniques! She noticed that the students were murmuring excitedly again. She could tell she was missing something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Very good," she praised, once she'd recovered. The lecture went on for a few more minutes, with May ending it with a display from her Glaceon. The class applauded as the majestic Ice Type landed on her feet. There was a loud gonging sound just as the applause died down.

"Thank you everyone," May said, returning her Glaceon, "I'll see you all again same time next week." The students started to file out, and May turned around and started packing up her things in a bag.

"That was very impressive," a voice, different to the one before, complimented from behind her, "I'm very pleased that I came down."

May gasped inaudibly as she recognised the voice. Her face contorted in anger.

"I'm not," She growled, continuing to pack away, not even looking at the other person.

"C'mon, babe, stop playing hard to get," the voice coaxed, "you know this is all just a misunderstanding!"

May whipped round, her face red with rage. She could've swung for him.

"I caught you red handed, Brendan!" May shouted, glaring at the white haired man standing in front of her. He was sporting a grey and orange top, and black jeans, and an arrogant smirk on his face.

"I told you, she was just one of my models," Brendan replied, shrugging dismissively. He approached May, who backed away until she was up against the wall. Brendan didn't stop advancing, the arrogant smirk never leaving his face.

May closed her eyes in defeat. _"Not again,"_ she thought, trying to fight back the tears. But it never came.

"Get your hands off me!" She heard Brendan yell.

"Then I suggest you step away," May's eyes shot open, she recognised that tone of voice from the night before. Ash.

"What gives you the right to tell me what to do?!" Brendan exclaimed, stepping up into Ash's face. The latter kept a stoic expression on his face.

"Technically, you're trespassing on my premises," Ash replied casually, not breaking eye contact with Brendan. The latter smirked.

"So that's basically nothing then," Brendan smirked, turning around to walk back over to May. She subconsciously flinched as she saw the look on the man's face.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." There was a loud thud as Brendan fell onto the floor, flat on his backside. Ash pulled his leg back from the kick, and assumed a relaxed, defensive stance. He knew that he'd poked the hornets' nest, he could just read this guy's character like a book.

Brendan stood up and faced Ash, and the Gym Leader could literally see the red mist descend over Brendan's face.

"How dare you?!" He yelled, "do you even know who I am?!" Ash shrugged.

"Some nobody trying to bully the nicest person I've ever met?" Ash replied, sounding disinterested, but as he said the last part of the sentence, he shot a look at May.

It made her heart melt. He looked so apologetic and guilty, that any bad feeling May held towards him started to fade.

"Do you know who _I_ am?" Ash asked sarcastically, glaring at the white-haired man in front of him.

"A nobody?! I'll have you know I'm the son of the Hoenn Champion!" Brendan bragged, "I think you'll find _you're_ the nobody!" he sneered. Ash smirked. He knew who the guy was.

"Make that _disowned_ son of the Hoenn Champion," Ash retorted, chuckling as he spoke, "I'm good friends with Steven, he mentioned that you spent time in prison for physical and sexual abuse."

Ash had spent a fair amount of time training with Steven, as the two had met on multiple occasions during Ash's conquest of that League. The two had grown quite close and Ash considered Steven a good personal friend. Good enough for Steven to tell him about his deranged son.

Ash's eyes shot opened as he connected the dots. His gaze fell onto May. The look on her face broke his heart. Tears were forming in her eyes and she was physically cowering away from Brendan, even though all of his attention was on Ash.

Brendan's eyes narrowed to slits as he clenched his fists. Ash dropped his defensive stance. This was a fight that he didn't have time for. Sweeping past a confused and startled Brendan, Ash crouched down in front of May. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. May's eyes slowly met his, he could see the distress and agony as clear as day. She nodded slowly.

"Now that you're here," May replied quietly, offering the raven-haired man a small smile. Ash returned it, and there was an obvious message behind the smiles.

" _We'll talk later, in private."_

Ash noticed May's eyes shoot open in fear, and her mouth open to say something, but it was too late.

Ash had already reacted, he spun a 180 on his right heel, extending his left leg as he swept round. Brendan didn't have any time to halt his advance before Ash's leg put him on his backside once again.

Ash stood above the floored man, a look of pure fury on his face.

"I _really_ advise you to leave," Ash growled, internally relishing at the look of fear that crept its way onto Brendan's usually smug face. "NOW!" Ash yelled, stomping his foot next to Brendan. There was a man shaped cloud of dust next to Ash's foot.

"This isn't over!" Brendan's voice came echoing around the lecture hall as he made his escape. Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He hated physical confrontation. He heard movement behind him but didn't have time to react before arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Thank you so much!" May's voice was muffled as she nuzzled her face into Ash's back. He could hear the gratitude dripping off her tone as she spoke.

"Anytime," Ash twisted around and pulled May into a proper hug as he replied. He rested his cheek on the top of May's head, which was distinctly lacking its usual bandanna, so his nose got caught up in some of her hair. They stayed like that for what felt like hours.

A thought came to May.

"Where's Georgia?" She asked, her voice still muffled from the position of the hug.

"She still at my mum's," Ash replied, "I wasn't in an emotional state to look after her properly. I did stop in on my way here to say hello." Ash's words brought back a slightly uncomfortable silence as they both got caught up in their thoughts.

"I'm sorry," they croaked out at the same time, both being struck by the emotions of the night before. A confused look settled on both of their faces. They pulled apart slightly, so they were still holding each other, but could look each other in the eye. Ash felt an unfamiliar tug in his stomach.

"What are you sorry for?" They both asked in unison.

There was a moment of silence, then they both started laughing at their synchronicity. Ash sobered up first.

"I think there's a lot we need to talk about," He said gently. May looked him in the eyes and nodded.

 **-IBYL-**

"It all started when I started my journey," May started. The two had made their way to May's office, although she only had three lectures a week, the University had insisted on giving her an office. They were next to each other on a sofa, with May's desk in front of them. "Brendan and I had met in Cerulean City when his family came on holiday."

Ash listened intently, trying to keep his emotions in check. The way that May had cowered away from Brendan had filled him with anger.

"We instantly hit it off, and I was really sad when he had to go back. It was only a few days later that my dad told us that he'd accepted the offer to be Petalburg Gym Leader."

"Brendan and I spent a lot of time together when I moved there, and we both agreed to travel together when our journey's started." May had a far off look in her eyes as she reminisced. "It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my journey, and Brendan helped me figure it out."

"I had a crush on him, and I could tell he had one on me," May said, making sure she didn't sound arrogant as she spoke, "but then, at my first Contest, we met Drew." Ash recognised that name.

"The Coordinator with green hair and the Roselia?" Ash asked, figuring out he'd seen him perform in a Grand Festival.

"That's the one," May affirmed, "I instantly took a liking to him, he was so smooth, and at that age, I was easily infatuated. I even asked Drew to join us on the journey, and he agreed."

"It was difficult," May admitted, a little bit of guilt in her voice, "I liked them both, a lot."

Ash nodded in understanding. He'd never been in that situation, but he could imagine it being difficult to like two people so close to you at the same time.

" _Oh,"_ he thought, _"that's exactly what's happening to me now."_

"But Drew made a move first, just after the Grand Festival" May's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "and we started dating, which greatly upset Brendan."

"So much so that he left?" Ash asked. May nodded once more.

"Drew and I dated for a few years, but it grew stale in the end," May added, "we decided to go our separate ways, but we're still good friends."

Ash listened intently, subconsciously, he was amazed at how easily May relayed her past to him. He was slightly envious as well.

"A few weeks later, I bumped into Brendan, and… It was like nothing I'd felt before that point," May said, emphasising 'before that point.' "The connection was there, as if we'd never been apart."

"We went out on a couple of dates, and eventually he asked me to be his girlfriend," May smiled sadly, it was a really happy time of her life.

"But he resented me too much," Ash raised his eyebrow in confusion. It sounded like Brendan really liked her. "He felt betrayed that I'd 'picked' Drew over him," May air quoted. She gulped, tears forming in her eyes.

"Then he turned violent," May said, barely above a whisper. Ash frowned angrily. "It started with him doing little things when he got angry, like grabbing my arm." May gestured to her bicep, indicating that's where it used to happen.

"But it got worse and worse," May choked, and Ash pulled her into a hug. "He couldn't control his emotions, and kept lashing out."

Ash had a rush of guilt fly through him.

"Like me the other day…" He muttered, cursing himself internally. May's head flew up and she looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Don't ever compare yourself to him," She warned, highly upset that Ash could ever think that.

"But I lashed out at you, because I couldn't control my emotions," Ash replied, "I'm so sorry." He pulled her into a deeper hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes, whilst they both composed themselves. They pulled apart when May continued her story.

"I was too scared to tell anyone," She admitted, her voice quiet again, "but then… h-h-he… tried to take advantage of me."

If Ash hadn't been paying her all of his attention, he never would've heard it with how quiet May spoke. Anger flared up inside him.

"That sick bastard!" He shouted, not being able to hold it back. May offered him a small smile.

"It's okay, he didn't," May said, running one of her fingers up and down Ash's arm, settling him down from his angry outburst. "I screamed as soon as he properly tried," May teared up again as the memory overwhelmed her. "My dad heard and came rushing in."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding. May couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips. Ash gave her a confused look.

"Dad knocked him out with one punch, no questions asked," May admitted. This revelation made Ash smirk at the thought of the arrogant guy he had met earlier being knocked out cold. "He also called the police."

"And they arrested him and he got charged with physical and sexual abuse…" Ash finished, remembering what Steven had told him about it. May shook her head.

"Just physical abuse on me, as nothing happened," May explained, "he got let out on bail, and let his anger out on some other poor girl." Ash couldn't believe it, he felt so angry at this man for what he had done.

"I shouldn't have restrained myself," Ash growled, balling his fist in anger. May rested her hand on top of it, slightly calming Ash down.

"The only thing that worries me, is how is he out of jail? He got a ten year sentence and it's only been six…" May questioned, mainly to herself. Ash's eyes flashed open in surprise.

"You were seventeen when he tried it on?" Ash asked, the anger rising in his chest again. May nodded sadly. A low growl emitted from Ash's throat. May looked at his face, and gasped. His eyes were slightly glowing blue. The glow got brighter and brighter until it eventually enveloped the pair.

 **-IBYL-**

May opened her eyes slowly, feeling dazed. She slowly looked around, heavily confused.

" _Wasn't I just in the office talking with Ash?"_ She thought to herself, _"where am I?"_

"Tag! Your it!" She heard children's voices behind her. She turned around to face where the voices had come from. May was startled to see she was in Ash's corral. In the distance she could see a little blonde girl running away from a black haired boy, seemingly the same age. May narrowed her eyes.

" _Is… is that Georgia?"_ May asked herself. _"No, she looks much older… maybe 8? 9?"_

"What is going on...?" She mumbled, not expecting anyone to answer.

"It's my childhood," came a voice from behind her. She was surprised to see Ash standing behind her, a solemn look on his face.

"Ash! Where are we? What do you mean?" May asked, approaching Ash. The latter frowned.

"Professor Oak's lab," Ash replied, before pointing at the black haired boy running after the blonde girl. "That's me."

May's eyes shot open in surprise.

"H-How is that possible?" May asked. Ash sighed.

"My emotions, they triggered my Aura," Ash answered, May opened her mouth to question him, "these are my memories."

May looked at him in shock. She'd heard rumours of people being able to manipulate their Aura into a physical form, but she thought the last one, Sir Aaron, had died.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Ash shifted his point from the boy to the girl.

"And that," Ash winced, a look of pain shooting across his face, "is Serena."

 **EOC**

 **Okay, so this chapter has gone off a lot from what I expected. HUGE shoutout to aboz567 for helping me decide where to go with this story. I was reluctant to add Aura in, as I'd tried to make this as realistic as possible, but aboz helped me realise that I could make it work. Even though this is AU, Ash has still travelled the world, and so he has still travelled to Rota and discovered his abilities.**

 **However, if the aura idea is not well received, I have an alternative ending to this chapter in mind, which I could easily get written, and replace this one, so please, let me know what you guys think and whether you'd like the Aura version or the more realistic version!**

 **So May's past is out there, and it's not a pleasant one. A tough one to write, but something that needs awareness. Ash's past will be revealed in the next chapter…**

 **FYI, Ash's ringtone at the start of the chapter is the beginning of "Justified" by A Day To Remember.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **LONEWOLF3957: Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the direction the story is going in.**

 **MANBEARPIG01: Thank you for your review, I'm glad you agree with me!**

 **ILIZJON: It's great to be back! :D that really pleases me that I could bring you some happiness! Yeah, I have a knack for going to dark places, don't I? xD I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long!**

 **P14Y3R: God dammit, I knew I was bound to make a mistake somewhere, it's been so long since I've watched the anime! It's close enough… right? :P well, you'll only have to wait for the next one to find out! Wow, thank you! I appreciate that, this is already my second best "rated" story on this site, if it comes anywhere near IYCSMN, I'll be delighted!**


	5. Aura's Vision

**EDITED 12/09/2016 - Thank you to Steveclax for pointing out a basic error that I made in the plot regarding the consultation scene.**

 **Young Ash will be differentiated by:** _Ash_.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

There was a moment of silence as May registered what Ash had told her. They were in his memories. She was looking at a young Ash, and a 25-year-old Ash.

"I'm 8 years old here," Ash explained, "Serena and I committed to going on our journey together." As he spoke, the two seemed to move without walking, gliding over closer to the children.

 _Ash_ chased after Serena, both laughing frantically as they zigged and zagged around the corral. Eventually _Ash_ got within touching distance and launched himself to try and tag Serena. He accidentally launched himself with too much force, fully placing his hand on Serena's back, causing the young girl to fall and scrape her knee. Serena sat up, and twisted so she could have a look at her knee. There was a rather large scrape, with a line of blood rolling down her leg. She seemed to shrug it off, but looked up at _Ash_ , and saw that he was getting upset.

"I'm so sorry, Serena!" _Ash_ apologised, tears starting to form in his eyes, "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's okay, Ash!" Serena replied enthusiastically, "I know you wouldn't do that on purpose! And anyway, it's only a little scrape!" _Ash_ frowned, not convinced that it was something to dismiss so easily. Serena rolled her eyes at his concern.

The blonde girl stepped forward and pulled Ash into a hug.

"I'm fine, silly!" She exclaimed, a jovial tone in her voice.

"Okay then," Ash replied reluctantly, still not convinced. His face was tinged red from Serena's hug. "But I'd feel much better if you at least got it cleaned up and a plaster put on it."

Serena rolled her eyes again, but slipped her hand into Ash's and pulled him towards the Lab.

May glanced up at Ash with concern. Serena was obviously a sensitive subject with Ash. His expression was blank as he watched his younger self playfully run back inside alongside Serena. May had so many questions she wanted to ask.

"I discovered the ability when I activated a Time Flower in Rota," Ash explained, surprising May as she hadn't vocalised her thoughts. "I met a Lucario there, who turned out to be Sir Aaron's, he helped me slightly understand my capabilities."

"H-How did you know I was going to ask?" May questioned, slightly startled. Ash smiled slightly.

"We're in my mind, everything's an open book," He replied cryptically, gesturing around him. May decided to let it drop.

"Wait… you met _the_ Sir Aaron's Lucario?" May asked, astounded. Ash nodded slowly. The scene around them started to fade and all of a sudden, they were stood outside a church.

Ash's face turned slightly red.

"Where are we now?" May asked, curiously looking around.

"Umm… this…" He stuttered, shoulders tensed. He let out a deep sigh, relaxing his muscles, "this is my wedding."

May gawped at him. She couldn't lie that the knowledge that Ash had married Serena didn't hurt, but obviously it hadn't worked out and they'd divorced.

" _Does it have something to do with Georgia?"_ May wondered, _"did Ash want a child and Serena didn't?"_

"Why are we being shown all this?" May asked, curious as to why Ash's emotions had sparked these particular images.

"I think my Aura is showing you what happened between me and Serena," Ash answered quietly, speaking as if his Aura had a mind of its own.

" _I'm gonna have to see her go all over again,"_ Ash thought sadly. _"Maybe it's showing me this to try and help me move on…?"_ The duo once again started moving through the memory without physically engaging a muscle.

"Ohh Ash, you look so handsome!" May gushed. Ash was wearing a navy blue suit, with a white shirt and matching blue tie. He did look rather sharp. "When did you get married?"

"Thank you, I've always liked that suit," Ash replied, smiling softly at May, "I'm 19 there." May's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"That's quite young to get married?" May suggested, subconsciously hinting at maybe their age was why they got divorced.

"I was told that," Ash admitted, "but it was too late, we were in love and we couldn't really wait." May looked at him in confusion, but was unable to vocalise her questions as music started to play.

May gasped at the sight of Serena. She looked positively stunning. Her blonde hair was flowing behind her veil, her dress had a smooth, tight torso, which widened slightly past her hips, and slightly more by her legs.

"That's a stunning dress," May complimented. Ash nodded slowly, frowning at the emotions that seeing his wedding day was bringing back up. It was almost as if he could feel the nerves and excitement all over again.

"I've still got it, I'm keeping it as pristine as I can," Ash replied, May shot him a confused look, unsure as to why he'd be so determined to look after his ex-wife's wedding dress, "I think it's something Georgia might like when she's older." May smiled slightly at Ash's consideration.

" _Even though her mum walked out on her,"_ May thought bitterly. May looked back at Serena and gasped again. She couldn't believe she'd missed it looking at her the first time round.

"I know," Ash agreed, "it explains why she looked like she's literally glowing." May couldn't help but nod in agreement, Serena was radiant, and the little bump on her stomach only served to help her beauty.

"How far is she?" May asked, not taking her eyes off of Serena's pregnant belly.

"Ummm…" Ash hummed, trying to remember how long after their wedding that Serena gave birth.

"About three months, if I remember correctly," Ash answered, "she was absolutely convinced that we'd get married before she was, and I quote, 'too pregnant'" Ash air quoted. May giggled slightly.

" _It's a little bit of a shame I didn't ever meet Serena,"_ May thought, _"it feels like we would've got on very well."_

May turned her attention back to Serena, and began to doubt her theories of Serena walking out on Ash. The adoring look that the blonde woman was giving _Ash_ was filled with so much love. She wore such a beautiful smile on her face that it even caused May to smile as well.

Ash and May watched in silence as Serena's father handed her over to _Ash_. The two shared a vibrant smile, before turning to face the priest. The memory continued to play out like a scene out of a film. The wedding was beautiful, and the vows were said with so much passion and love.

"Ash… this is a beautiful wedding," May complimented softly, looking at Ash and throwing him a gentle smile. "I don't want to push my luck, but you and Serena looked like you had such an amazing chemistry… do you know why she left?" May queried. Ash frowned. He was unsure why May had assumed that Serena had walked out on him, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her what really happened.

Instead, his Aura did it for him, and Ash and May were blinded by a bright light.

 **-IBYL-**

Ash blinked rapidly as the light died down, trying to readjust after the transition. He could hear May groaning nearby, the change obviously affecting her. He opened his eyes to see where his Aura had taken them. His heart dropped, and a wave of sadness came crashing over him. They were stood in the waiting room of a hospital.

" _Why?"_ He thought to himself, _"why is my Aura taking May and I through all of this? Why has it taken control?"_

"Where are we, Ash?" May asked, snapping Ash out of his thoughts. He gulped, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Th-this is the Pallet Town hospital," He replied, stuttering slightly, something May picked up on.

"Are you okay?" She asked, "this must be so tough on you, reliving your past," she added sympathetically, placing her hand on his shoulder. Ash was comforted slightly at the action.

"Ummm… Not really," Ash replied honestly, slightly shrugging his shoulders. May frowned slightly, before shifting her hand to hold Ash's. "What we're about to see is one of the worst things that's ever happened to me."

Ash's voice was quiet, and filled with pain. May opened her mouth to reply, but Ash's Aura pulled them forward in the memory.

"Mrs. Ketchum, I'm afraid there's very good news, but also some bad news," a doctor said gently, to Serena and _Ash_ , who were sat in two chairs opposite the one the doctor occupied across the desk. It was a small consultation office, and it seemed to be creating a thick, tense atmosphere at the doctor's words.

 _Ash_ and Serena gave each other a look, seemingly silently discussing the situation.

"Good news first please," they said in unison. The doctor smiled slightly.

"Well, the explanation for your constant sickness and stomach ache is simply extreme morning sickness from the pregnancy," the doctor said, "we have the babies gender, if you'd like to know?" Ash and Serena shared an excited look, before both nodded enthusiastically, the doctor smiled. "You're going to be having a baby girl."

 _Ash_ and Serena's faces lit up, they looked at each other and smiled brightly, pulling each other into a hug. The doctor's face turned solemn at their joy.

May turned to Ash, a slightly confused look on her face.

"So this was the day you found out you were having a girl?" May questioned. Ash nodded, staring at his younger self with a dazed expression, "you said this was one of the worst things that happened to you, but you look so happy!"

Another wave of sadness crashed over Ash, and the emotional strain that he was under using this much Aura – even though he wasn't in control of it – became too much for him, and his legs gave way. Ash held himself up limply, he'd turned slightly pale, and looked weak.

"Ash!" May called out, but Ash could barely hear her over the sound of his heartbeat, which seemed to echo in his head. He was slightly aware of May dropping down in front of him and placing a hand on his face, calling his name. He was slightly aware of his younger self and Serena settling down and turning their attention back to the doctor.

"I can't live through this twice…" He thought, his head started to pound, making him wince.

All of his senses returned, almost like his Aura was toying with him, just as the doctor spoke again, also grabbing May's attention.

"But the bad news," he said, the look on his face instantly put an end to the smiles on _Ash_ and Serena's faces. "I'm afraid that whilst we were doing our tests, we discovered an issue with your blood levels."

 _Ash_ and Serena shared a concerned look, before awaiting the doctors' prognosis.

"I'm afraid that you have pancreatic cancer."

Ash's world came crashing down around him, for the second time. It became too much for him to bear, the last thing he heard before he blacked out was May gasping.

May's hands had shot to her mouth and her eyes were open wide in shock. She felt sadness wash over her when she saw the shared look on _Ash_ and Serena's faces. A lone tear fell down the blonde woman's face. _Ash_ seemed to have gone into shock, he was staring at the doctor with a blank, dazed expression.

"Wh-what are my chances?" Serena asked quietly, her left hand crept over and grasped _Ash's_ for comfort. He subconsciously started rubbing circles on the back of her hand, still looking dazed.

"Fairly good, all things considered," the doctor replied, bringing a bit of relief to the couple, "we've discovered it fairly early on, so a full course of treatment and we should be able to remove it."

May let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding.

"What about the baby?" _Ash_ asked, his voice quiet and full of sadness. The doctor smiled, with a combination of sympathy and understanding.

"The baby will be fine as long as Serena ensures she eats and sleeps well," the doctor answered _Ash_ , before turning his attention to Serena, "to give you and the baby the best chance, I'd like to see you once a week," Serena nodded, with no hesitation, she'd do whatever it took to get her and her unborn child through this. "You're going to need to keep yourself in the healthiest condition you've ever been in, I can't stress how crucial it's going to be that you eat and sleep well, and get some good exercise."

"I can assure you that I'll do everything I can," Serena replied. May was struck by how confident and powerful the blonde woman sounded, it gave May the feeling that Serena could fight off the cancer without any treatment. May was suddenly hit by guilt about the assumptions she'd made about her, she turned to apologise to Ash.

But he wasn't there.

May's head shot around the room, looking for the raven-haired man, but couldn't see him anywhere. Running out the room, May looked left and right for any sign of him.

There was nothing.

Before she could pick a direction to go looking for him in, she was once again blinded by a bright light.

 **-IBYL-**

May readjusted much quicker this time, and opened her eyes instantly, trying to both check her surroundings and locate Ash.

She was surprised to see she was still in a hospital, in a different waiting room. She heard voices behind her and turned to see who the voices belonged to. She could see Delia, Misty and Brock sat in a group with three other people, a brown haired man wearing a purple shirt and cargo trousers, and a grey haired man in a white suit. She recognised the latter as Professor Oak. There was also another man sat with them, wearing a green t-shirt and brown shorts, again, she didn't recognise him.

"So Serena's parents aren't actually gonna be here?" he asked. Delia frowned, her usual happy demeanour turning angry.

"No Tracey, for whatever reason they've got a problem with her and Ash having a child together," she answered, a bitter tone to her voice. In the process she identified the guy in the green t-shirt for May. "It's not like he hasn't got a stable job being the toughest Gym Leader in the region, or that they're not married."

Misty nodded in agreement.

"They've been together for almost a decade now," she added, "I can't believe how bitter they still are about it." The brown haired man frowned.

"I know they live in Kalos, but surely they would've made it to see their first grandchild being born?" He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Gary," Misty said. May realised that this was Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson. Max had told her all about them, apparently, Gary was aspiring to take over the role from his grandad when Professor Oak retired.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _"Serena's parents haven't come for the baby's birth?"_ She thought, glancing at the room that the group were waiting outside. _"So this is when Ash becomes a dad…"_

As if listening to her thoughts, Ash's Aura started to pull her forward in the memory, and into the room.

"You're doing really well, Serena!" a female voice said, as May came to her senses. She took in the scene in front of her. Serena was lying in the hospital bed, with _Ash_ on her left, grasping her hand and smiling encouragingly. On Serena's right was a blue haired girl wearing scrubs. A nurse.

May gasped as she realised who it was.

"Dawn?!" She asked incredulously. May had come across Dawn quite frequently on the Coordinator circuit, with the two becoming quite good friends. May knew that Dawn had taken a break from Coordinating to pursue another career, but the two hadn't spoken for a while.

"Yeah, Serena and I wanted someone we knew to deliver our baby…" A male voice spoke from the corner of the room, making May jump. She turned to her left, and saw Ash sat on a chair in the corner by a large window, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his chin on his clenched hands.

"Ash! Oh my god are you okay?" May asked, running over to him and crouching down to look him in the eyes, placing her hand on the side of his leg. He held a vacant expression, almost as if he was living his worst nightmare.

" _He probably is…"_ May realised sadly.

"I don't know," Ash replied, in a tone that sounded almost dismissive. "I've always tried to block these memories out… so to be thinking about them… _re-living_ them… Is so painful."

His voice was quiet, and sounded so broken that May had to fight back tears.

"Ohh Ash…" She said sympathetically. He raised his head slightly to look May in the eyes, and offered her a small smile, one that May could tell was completely superficial.

"One last push, Serena!" Dawn's voice snapped them out of the moment, and May stood up, turning to watch the scene. The blue-haired Coordinator turned midwife had moved in a position to deliver the baby. Serena let out a gut-wrenching yell as she gave one last push. Ash raised his head up slightly to witness his daughter's birth again.

Serena stopped yelling, and a silence fell over the room.

"Congratulations, guys," Dawn said, standing up from the position she'd taken to deliver the baby, her smile evident in her voice, "you've got a beautiful baby girl."

A sharp shriek responded to the statement, as the girl announced her arrival. Ash watched on, still feeling dazed and weak, but a small smile crept onto his face as he watched his younger self move around to cut the umbilical cord. Dawn then took the new-born away to be cleaned.

May smiled softly at the scene, before glancing back Ash. She was pleased to see a smile on his face, but his expression soon dropped.

"You were amazing, sweetheart," May heard _Ash_ say, she looked over to see him giving Serena a hug. The blonde girl was trying to return it, but she was too weak to properly embrace _Ash_. May frowned slightly.

" _There's something off with Serena…"_ May thought, _"she looks too pale, and her eyes have sunken…"_

Dawn arrived with the baby, a huge smile on her face as she passed her over to _Ash_. The young father looked slightly startled, but a huge smile broke out on her face.

"Ohh Serena, she's beautiful…" _Ash_ cooed, crouching slightly so that his wife could see. A weak smile slipped onto Serena's face.

"She is… my little girl…" She croaked. A look of concern came across May's face, there was definitely something off with Serena.

"Have you decided on a name?" Dawn asked, filling in the appropriate paperwork.

"Georgia," Both parents said in unison, _Ash_ not looking up from the child in his arms.

"Would you like to hold her?" _Ash_ asked Serena, who replied with a nod. Her movements were getting more and more laboured. _Ash_ gently placed Georgia into Serena's arms. The little girl seemed to smile at her mother's touch.

A tear rolled down Serena's face. Dawn frowned.

"Are you feeling okay, Serena?" She asked, moving over to the new mother.

"No… she's not…" Ash mumbled, putting his head in his hands. May's eyes shot opened as the penny dropped.

"No… No way… It can't be…" May denied, turning to face Ash, who had slumped back in the chair, covering his face so he didn't have to watch it again.

Serena weakly passed her child over to _Ash_ , before holding her hand up to her mouth and coughing violently.

"Honey… are you - ?" _Ash's_ eyes shot wide open as he saw the amount of blood that had come out of Serena's mouth. "Dawn, do something!"

The blue-haired nurse had already leapt into action, pressing an alarm which caused more nurses to come rushing in. May watched with a hand across her mouth, eyes open wide in shock, fighting back tears as she watched the blonde woman fight for her life.

The violent coughing fit stopped, and Serena looked deep into _Ash's_ eyes.

"I love you… Never forget that…" She said weakly, but May could hear so much passion and sincerity in Serena's words.

Ash couldn't bear it anymore, and he started to cry into his hands. All the emotions came flowing back into him at once.

The worry and fear of what was happening to Serena, the fear of potentially being thrown into parenthood alone, the huge wave of sadness at seeing his childhood friend, _best_ friend, travelling partner, his first love… his _wife_ in such a state.

May heard one of Ash's sobs and whirled around, she moved over to him and swept him into a hug.

"Serena, you're going to be fine!" _Ash_ said loudly, not believing what he was seeing, "they'll take you into theatre, they'll make you better, and then we're going to raise our daughter together!" He was in tears by the time he'd finished speaking. Dawn and May were in tears at the rawness of _Ash's_ emotions.

"I-I'm going to miss so much…" Serena said, her whole demeanour drifting further and further away. Ash looked up and over May's shoulder, with the two still in an embrace. His eyes were red, his face tear stained, with a couple of nail marks which had drawn blood from where he had been gripping his face due to the power of the emotions flowing through him.

Ash and May watched a small, blissful, regretful smile creep onto Serena's face.

Her expression never changed, but her eyes. The light faded slowly, until there was a nothingness behind them.

A fresh wave of tears came streaming down Ash's face, he physically shook in May's arms. He felt weak, distressed and broken. His body went into shock at the raw emotion running through him, and he started to hyperventilate.

"Ohh Ash… I'm so _so_ sorry," May cried quietly, the raw emotion of Serena's passing bringing her to tears as well. "You poor thing…"

May felt a tap on her shoulder, an action that sent a shiver down her spine. She looked over her shoulder and a shocked expression shot onto her face. She let go of Ash and leapt to her feet.

"Serena?!" She exclaimed, "but you… you just…"

"Died?" the blonde woman replied bluntly, a little teasing smile on her face. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Ash… am I losing my mind in here?" May asked, turning around.

But Ash was gone.

"It's just us here," Serena replied. It was then that May realised that the whole room had disappeared, and the two of them were just stood in a white, empty expanse.

"Where… where is here?" May asked slowly, looking around at the emptiness. Serena offered a small smile.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all that," She apologised, causing a confused look to appear on May's face.

"What do you mean?" The brunette asked. She had so many questions, she knew that she'd just watched Serena pass away.

"I've got some explaining to do, come, sit," Serena replied, gesturing over to a table and two chairs that had appeared. After May got over the initial shock of the furniture appearing out of nowhere, she followed Serena over to the table and sat down opposite her.

"Firstly, I'm sorry for making you witness all that," Serena started, after a momentary pause, "this is going to be difficult to believe, but this is all genuinely happening."

May didn't know why, but she believed Serena. Somehow she could just tell that this conversation was actually happening, it wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

"Ash still holds a part of me inside him," Serena started, her voice quite distant, but a small smile was on her face, "he couldn't ever, and still hasn't, come to terms with my death." May was shocked at how blasé Serena spoke about her death. "He threw himself straight into raising Georgia, and trying to balance that with his duties as Gym Leader, and Elite Four member."

"And so, he held a part of my spirit with him… His Aura capabilities quite literally caught a part of my soul and kept it inside him," Serena explained, looking a little sheepish as she spoke, almost like she was expecting May to claim she was making it up. Instead, the brunette was listening intently to what Serena was saying, storing the questions she wanted to ask until Serena had finished.

"And so, when your raw emotions about what happened in your past, which I'm really sorry to hear about," Serena offered, genuinely. May replied with a small smile. "That pure emotion connected with Ash's emotions about me, which caused his Aura to go into overdrive, almost giving it a mind of its own."

May was astounded. Even though she'd read about Aura, she never knew it was such a powerful force.

"It discovered your feelings for each other," Serena added, but there was no bitterness in her voice, she sounded happy for them. May flushed at Serena's words, and tried to offer a response. "Don't even think about denying it, it's plain to see!" Serena interrupted, with a slightly teasing tone in her voice. "Aura is a unique entity."

"I've read up on it somewhat, but I never realised it had such…" May drifted at the end of her sentence, not sure what words would encapsulate her awe.

"I know, I experienced some of its power in Rota with Ash… He almost used up his entire life force trying to save the Tree of Beginning…" Serena replied, both of the women had dazed slightly at the astounding power of Aura.

"But anyway," Serena said, snapping them both into focus, "it connected with these feelings, and recognised that Ash wanted to tell you all about what had happened, but he was afraid to, and found it too difficult."

"Afraid to?" May asked, raising an eyebrow. Serena rolled her eyes.

"The idiot thought he'd scare you off," Her tone was playful, once again surprising May at the lack of jealousy or bitterness. "I want him to be happy, and he hasn't been since my death."

"And you really make him happy," Serena added, smiling brilliantly. May could see why Ash had fallen in love with this woman, May was struck by a sad sensation, she could feel herself becoming friends with Serena, and it saddened her that she wouldn't get the opportunity.

"You're an incredible person, Serena," May voiced her thoughts. Serena scoffed, but smiled gratefully at May.

"Thank you, May," She replied, "Ash needs you, he'll be too stubborn to admit it, but you are exactly what he needs to get over me." Serena zoned out for a moment, May could see her eyes glaze over, but as quickly as it had come, it passed.

"And Georgia needs you," Once again, there was no bitterness in Serena's voice. She meant every word she was saying.

May got a bit flustered, surprised at Serena's words.

"It's been difficult for her growing up without a mother," Serena said sadly, "I would've given anything to have the opportunity to watch her grow up in person, but Arceus had other ideas."

A few tears crept into May's eyes. She was absolutely amazed by Serena.

"I saw the way you connected with her the other day," Serena smiled brightly, "that was the first time she's _ever_ held someone else's hand other that Ash's." May's eyes shot open wide. "Trust me, I've been keeping a very close eye on her."

"If you don't mind me asking…" May started reluctantly. Serena gestured for her to ask away. "How do you know all this...?" A knowing look crossed Serena's face.

"As I said, Ash's Aura trapped a part of my soul," Serena explained, "I've been living inside Ash… which has been affecting his emotions, and made it harder for him to move on," Serena winced, and her voiced was ladled with guilt.

"Why haven't you ever spoken to Ash? Or Georgia…?" May asked gently, trying not to offend or upset Serena. Serena smiled sadly.

"I couldn't bring myself to," She replied honestly, with a sad shrug of her shoulder, "it was hard enough saying goodbye the first time." May nodded in understanding, offering Serena a sympathetic smile.

"And Georgia doesn't know who I am," Serena admitted, "it would just confuse and hurt her." May's eyes opened wide in shock.

"Ash hasn't told her about you?" Serena shook her head.

"I didn't want him to," the mother admitted, "when I was diagnosed, I made a video message for Ash, in case the worst happened… and I told him not to tell Georgia anything about me until she was old enough to understand… no photos in the house, no sentimental items of clothing laying around… nothing."

"Ohh don't worry, he didn't throw any of my stuff away, it's just not in the house where Georgia can find it," Serena explained, noticing May's incredulous look. The latter had assumed that Ash had thrown away everything that Serena had left behind.

"I don't want to be rude, because I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and getting to know you," May started, "but why did you bring me here? And where's Ash gone?"

Serena smiled slightly.

"I wanted to get to know you personally," She admitted, "you seemed so nice, so genuine, I wanted to see it first-hand." May blushed at the praise, and Serena's honesty.

"Thank you, Serena," The two women shared a smile.

"It's my pleasure," Serena replied, "I think you're perfect for Ash." May blushed again. "And I think you're perfect for Georgia."

Serena smiled brightly at an extremely flustered May.

"It's been an honour meeting you, May Maple."

A bright light emitted from Serena, once again blinding May.

"Look after them for me," Serena's voice was distant and echoed.

 **EOC**

 **There we have it. I really hope I managed to put the emotion into this that I wanted to, I wanted to recreate the same level of feels of IYCSMN, but I'm not sure I did. The talk at the end between May and Serena was completely unplanned, but I wanted you to get a sense of the character she was in this universe, and why she left such a huge whole in Ash's emotions.**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **LONEWOLF3957: Thank you for leaving another review, I'm pleased you think the Aura is a great way to develop the plot, I hope I used it in a good way!**

 **AMERAINWOMAN: I'm glad you're enjoying so far! *Blushes* that's the second time someone's called me or my work famous… thank you for the high praise! I'm happy you enjoyed IYCSMN, up until this point, it's been my favourite piece of work, this story is starting to catch up! One of the main things with it was I wanted it to be emotional, and raw, having experienced raw depression myself, I wanted to reflect it in Ash. It's making me happy to be writing another story! I'm also happy you enjoyed chapter 4! *GASPS* ARE YOU PSYCHIC? ARE YOU IN MY HEAD?! ;) I toyed with the idea of her being a runaway, maybe not being able to deal with her parents' disapproval, but I'm a cruel bastard and wanted Ash to suffer xD**

 **MANBEARPIG01: Thank you for reviewing again. I hope I managed to do something different with Aura.**

 **BLAZINGCHARIZARD01: It's an acronym for the title of the story, I used it to try and transition between the scenes, and prefer using that to the "insert line" option.**

 **DEFENDER31415: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed seeing what actually happened with Serena and Ash! We'll have to wait and see if May can help him heal! I hope you approve of how the Aura developed in this chapter!**

 **BLACKRUBYADV: I fully planned to have it be Drew, but your review made me think; "that's a little predictable," and something I've done far too much, and felt I could develop Brendan's back story and character to be more of a w*nker than Drew. I'm pleased you enjoyed the chapter! It pained me to do that to May! I'm glad you approve of Aura, and hope you enjoyed where I went with it! I hope I got across how painful it actually was for Ash, with more fallout to come next chapter!**

 **ABOZ567: Once again, thank you so much for helping me choose a direction for this story! I'm really pleased you like the way I introduce Aura, and hope you like how I've dealt with it thus far. I'm not sure how much more Aura will play a part, but it will definitely have affected May.**

 **WHAT IS MY THIS: I hope all your studies have gone well, and best of luck for your exams! I'm pleased that you also approve of the Aura! I also hope you like where I've gone with it. Aah, I'm sorry I made Brendan such an asshole! But as I said above, there's more I can do with his back story and character than someone who's already set out in the anime. Ash has been kind of forced into not being such an idiot!**

 **Thank you all so, so much for reviewing, favouriting and alerting. It makes me so happy to see that, even after all this time, people are still enjoying my writing. This story has passed 1,000 views and I can't thank you all enough!**

 **Expect more feelsy stuff for Chapter 6!**

 **Until then, I've been Advanced Faith. You've all been awesome! :D**


	6. Like Father, Like Daughter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

A low, weak groan escaped his lips. He felt exhausted, physically numb. He was woozy and felt physically sick. Almost like his entire life force had been drained from his body.

Oh wait. It had.

Ash couldn't move at all, he had no energy left, the amount of Aura that had been expended, without his consent, should have killed him. So many questions ran through his tired mind. Why had that happened? Why didn't he have control? Why was he still alive after all that energy? Why did his Aura show him his past with Serena? How had May been there?

May.

His eyes shot open, an act that made him feel like he was going to pass out. His eyes glanced around the room, his vision was blurry, and he had to blink a few times before the image he could see became clearer.

Some of his senses started to return. He could hear the distant chatting of students. He could feel a bead of sweat rolling down his temple, and onto his cheek. He became aware of a weight on his chest. A tingling sensation ran through his fingers, and he could physically feel his Aura recharging, and his energy returning.

He looked down at the source of the wait on his chest. He could only see brunette hair.

"May?" He croaked, his voice was pathetically quiet, and it took so much energy just to force the question out. Ash got no response, not even a twitch. He forced his left arm, which was stuck behind May, around her waist, and he tried to nudge her. It took him an age to do. Now that the feeling had returned to him, his muscles and limbs felt like weights.

Still no response from May, causing Ash to frown. Concern flowed through him. He'd never experienced his Aura taking over him, let alone pulling someone into his mind.

" _What in Arceus' name just happened?"_ Ash thought to himself, his eyes stuck on May. He couldn't wrap his head around what had just happened. He'd had to relive the worst moments of his life, literally feeling everything all over again. He wanted to cry, but he felt too emotionally drained.

A low groan snapped him out of his thoughts.

"May?" He asked again, his voice slightly stronger, but still croaky. May seemed to come to her senses much quicker than Ash, pushing herself upright and rubbing her eyes.

Their eyes met, and Ash felt a wave of energy surge through him.

It felt like an electrical surge pulsing through his body.

He could see the emotion in May's eyes, she'd felt everything that he had.

"Ash…" She said gently. He could hear the apology in her voice. Tears started to form in her blue eyes. "I'm so sorry I ever suggested she abandoned you, and I'm even more sorry about what you went through!" She threw herself forward, pulling Ash into a tight hug. The contact sent an even bigger surge through Ash's body, almost as if May had recharged him. He felt tears prickling at his eyes. He slipped his arms around her as he squeezed his eyes shut, allowing a few tears to roll down his face.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, and for the first time, Ash didn't feel guilty about the intimate action.

"Serena was a wonderful woman," May said, pulling apart so they could look at each other, "it's no wonder you couldn't let her go."

Ash smiled sadly.

"We grew up together, we went through so much on our travels," Ash reminisced, a slightly dazed tone in his demeanour. "When I found out we were having a baby together… I was so happy."

May offered him a small smile, pleased for him that he was able to open up more.

"We had our issues, as every couple does," Ash commented, focusing back on May, "but we were so close, and I…" he hesitated slightly. May squeezed his hand in support. "I felt like I was cheating on her…" May had a feeling this was coming. Her conversation with Serena's spirit had given her a slight insight into how Ash felt about the whole situation.

"You gave yourself no time to grieve," May replied, "you threw yourself into your work and into raising that wonderful little girl." Ash raised his eyebrow at this. He'd never mentioned this before, and he was certain none of his memories had shown what happened after Serena's death.

"How do you know that?" He asked, slightly sceptically. May frowned, unsure how she was going to be able to rationally explain her conversation with Serena.

"You've got to trust me on this," May replied, her voice firm, her eyes locked with Ash's in an attempt to make him believe her. May's demeanour surprised Ash, he wasn't expecting such certainty and power from her voice and the look she gave him.

"I believe you," Ash replied, almost instinctively. May smiled appreciatively.

"I… I had a conversation with Serena," May said quietly, looking away from Ash as she spoke, not wanting to see his reaction. Ash didn't think he'd heard her properly. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"You… you spoke with… Serena?" He asked slowly, his confusion heavily evident, a subtle bit of pain in there, which May sensed, causing guilt to flare up.

"I did…" May replied quietly, "she told me that you were holding a part of her inside you, when she… passed away, your Aura caught her soul, and trapped it inside you," May explained, unable to look Ash in the eyes. She crossed her fingers that he believed her, it was so painful to tell the story, knowing the emotional turmoil Ash was going through.

"She said that it affected your emotions, it made it harder for you to move on," May added timidly, extremely unsure about how to approach the subject and carefully choosing her every word, "because… she was literally with you."

May braved a glance up at Ash and was surprised by the look on his face. He looked remarkably calm, and was intently listening to every word May said.

"That makes sense…" He replied softly, again surprising May at how calm he was. "Aura is an incredible entity… Serena and I were celebrating the anniversary of when we started dating when I discovered my abilities… It must have made a connection between us, and when Serena passed…" Ash left the rest of the sentence up in the air.

"It tried to protect her spirit?" May suggested, causing Ash to nod slowly, a distant look creeping onto his face. "So you believe me?" May asked timidly, snapping Ash back to reality.

"I do," Ash said wholeheartedly, "it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after seeing those scenes with you, almost like my Aura needed to…" Ash paused at the end of the sentence, unsure about how to say what he was thinking.

"Needed to…?" May prompted gently, placing her hand on Ash's once again. An action that made Ash look down at their hands.

"Pass on the connection…" He answered, making eye contact with May, his voice barely above a whisper. They both felt a shock run through them as they gazed into each other's eyes, it was like they could see into the other's soul. May realised that she literally had looked into Ash's.

"How… do you feel?" May asked quietly, slightly thrown off by the intensity of the moment, her voice seeming distant, but grounded all at the same time.

"I'm always going to be sad," Ash answered, knowing May was directing the question to how he felt about Serena's passing, "she was a huge part of my life, and will be all the while I'm raising our daughter."

"But I don't feel the raging guilt anymore," Ash added, "it doesn't feel like I'm cheating on her anymore…"

There was another shock as they made eye contact once more.

"She said she wanted you to be happy, because you hadn't been since she passed," May told Ash, not once breaking the, once again, intense eye contact. A small smile reached Ash's face.

"That's Serena," He replied fondly, but that sense of longing, the sense that he _needed_ Serena to get him by, had dissipated. "I… I feel like I can be happy again."

His voice was quiet, almost as if he was slightly ashamed by that comment. May smiled at him.

"That's a big step," May said, her voice almost warning Ash that he was moving too quickly, "she meant such a lot to you, and you obviously loved her so much."

"I know," Ash replied, surprised at how easy both of them seemed to be having this conversation. "But she said in the video will she left me that she wanted me and Georgia to be happy and live our lives," He added wistfully, he made eye contact with May once more.

"I finally feel like that's a possibility for me."

He said it with such intensity and certainty, it flustered May.

"She was still a huge part of your life," May replied gently, "and you never really gave yourself the opportunity to grieve… To be angry for the injustice you suffered…"

"If you ever need to do either of those things," May added, looking at Ash with a fiery determination, "I'm here for you."

Ash couldn't hide the smile that immediately formed on his face. Tears threatened him once again, but he held them off. Ash pulled May into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much…" He whispered softly into May's ear, "I needed this."

May smiled, enjoying the moment.

"I'm happy I can help," She replied softly. Once again the two stayed in each other's arms for a long time, until May realised something.

"What time are you picking Georgia up?" She asked, recalling that Ash had mentioned she was still at Delia's from the night before.

"I didn't mention a specific time when I was there," Ash replied, as the two pulled apart, "I didn't know how long I'd need to tell you everything." May was surprised.

"You came here to tell me what had happened?" She asked. Ash nodded.

"Yes," He confirmed, "I'm kinda glad that my Aura triggered those memories, it was more physically exhausting, but less emotionally draining that verbally telling you would've been."

Again, this surprised May.

"I thought reliving them would've been more draining?" May asked. Ash smiled softly.

"It was, but reliving them with you feels like an emotional weight off my shoulders," Ash explained, "yes, I felt drained afterwards, but now, I feel rejuvenated."

The two shared a bright smile.

"And I can't thank you enough," Ash added, leaning forward and kissing May on the cheek, flustering the brunette.

"I-It's my pleasure, Ash," May stuttered a reply, smiling shyly, but brightly at the Gym Leader. She remembered what they were discussing beforehand. "Can I come with you to collect Georgia?" She asked, slightly timidly. Ash's face stretched into a wide smile.

"Of course!" Ash answered enthusiastically, "I know Georgia, and my mum, would love to see you again!"

The two smiled at each other, before standing and getting ready to leave.

"Thank you for earlier," May said suddenly, causing Ash to give her a confused look, "standing up to Brendan like that, I really appreciate it." Ash smiled.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," he replied, opening the door and holding open for May. "After you, ma'am," he said, bowing, a smirk on his face. May giggled.

"Is this a habit of yours?" She asked through her giggles, glancing back at Ash as she walked through the door, "you did the very same on our date!" Ash smiled as he realised he had.

"What can I say?" He replied rhetorically, "my mum was very keen on me to have good manners."

May smiled, as the two headed out of the building and started the relatively short walk to Delia's.

"Your mum is a really great woman," May complimented, causing Ash to nod in agreement.

"She did well," Ash commented, "seems like single parenting runs in the family though," he added, somewhat bitterly. May shot him a sympathetic look.

"It must've been hard…" She replied sensitively, linking arms with Ash, and resting her head slightly on his shoulder. "Not having a father figure around," she added softly, making sure it didn't seem like she was rubbing it in. Ash blushed slightly when she rested her head on his shoulder, but quickly forced it away.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, that's for sure," He replied, a cross between a smile and a frown stretched onto his face. "But my mum was incredible… it was like having a mum and a dad in one person, if I didn't feel bad for her being… alone…" Ash hesitated slightly, "I'd choose to have my dad walk out every single time, it's worked out for the best, I feel." May felt tears prickle her eyes as Ash spoke.

"And I never really felt like I was alone," Ash added, gratitude evident in his voice, "I had so many people around me who helped me when I needed it… even if I didn't admit I needed help and was particularly stubborn," Ash said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his spare hand.

May smiled at his honesty, it made her feel warm inside that Ash was opening up to her more.

"But don't tell my mum that I said that, she'll never let me live it down!" Ash added jokingly, making May giggle slightly.

"Your secret is safe with me!" May joked back, tilting her head up slightly so she could wink at Ash, the action making the Gym Leader blush slightly.

"It better be!" Ash replied, winking back, once he'd recovered from his momentary fluster. The two shared a laugh as they reached Delia's house. Once again, Ash opened the gate and held it open for May, who smirked at him, but saying nothing.

Ash followed May down the path with a small smile on his face. He glanced up at the sky.

" _I don't know why my Aura took over and showed us all those visions… but I'm grateful,"_ he thought, _"I'll always love you, Serena, but… I need to let you go…"_ A lone tear rolled down his face, but the smile never left it.

As he thought this, he felt a strange sensation run through his body. It felt almost as if he'd had a vice clamped to his chest, and someone had released it.

Breathing a hefty sigh, Ash rubbed away the tear, and his smile grew as he looked at the back of May's head.

"Oh!" She exclaimed suddenly, completely snapping Ash out of his moment, turning to face him. "I can't believe I forgot! Congratulations!" She stepped towards him and gave him a hug. Ash frowned in confusion.

"Thank you… but for what?" Ash asked, his confusion evident. May pulled back and smiled at him, a look of pride on her face.

"I heard the news about your battle with Agatha! You're one step away from becoming a permanent Elite Four member!" She said excitedly. Her attitude was infectious, causing a wide smile to stretch across Ash's face.

"Thank you!" Ash thanked properly, now knowing why May had said congratulations. "I'm really looking forward to it, I've got to make sure I put on a show," Ash said with determination, clenching his fist. There was an edge to his determination that surprised May somewhat. She went to reply but was interrupted by the front door swinging open, even though neither had knocked.

"Hi daddy!" Georgia greeted excitedly, running up to Ash and hugging him around the legs. Ash smiled and patted her on the head affectionately.

"Hey sweetheart," Ash greeted. Georgia smiled up at him, before detaching herself from his legs, and running over to May, and hugging her the same way.

"Hi May!" The little girl said, once again smiling up at the adult she was hugging.

"Hey Georgia!" May replied, grabbing her under the arms and lifting her up to give her a proper hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good thank you!" Georgia answered politely, "I had a sleepover at nanny's!"

Ash frowned, as guilt hit him due to his actions the previous night. He had apologised to Delia and Georgia when he'd popped in on his way to the University, but he still heavily regretted how he'd behaved.

"Did you have a fun time?" May asked, smiling as she spoke. Georgia nodded vigorously.

"We watched _so_ many battles on the tele!" Georgia answered, "they were even showing some of daddy's matches!" Ash smiled at Georgia's words, he loved how similar his daughter was to him with how much they loved Pokémon, in fact, Georgia's first word was quite remarkably, Pikachu.

"That's awesome!" May replied, mimicking Georgia's enthusiasm, "I hope he didn't lose any of them!" she added, winking at Georgia, and smirking at Ash. The latter stuck his tongue out, the interaction causing Georgia to giggle in May's arms.

"We were just about to go to the park," Delia's voice came from the doorway, grabbing everyone's attention. She was leaning on the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest, a smile on her face. She'd been observing the scene ever since Georgia had rushed to the door, and the way that Georgia and May interacted greatly pleased her. What made her even happier was Ash and May standing together, when May had rushed out the previous night, she could've swung for Ash. May was such a lovely girl, and clearly exactly what he needed.

"Can May come with us, daddy?" Georgia asked, looking at Ash hopefully. The look on her face melted his heart. He glanced at May who was smiling brightly at his daughter.

"I'd love to, if that's okay?" May replied, her smile turning somewhat sheepish. Ash smiled brightly.

"Of course!" Ash answered, before turning to Delia, "would you like to join us?" Delia shook her head.

"I wouldn't want to be a third wheel," Delia teased, winking, causing the two adults to blush, "have fun!" She said in a sing-song tone, shutting the door.

"Let's go!" Georgia said excitedly, hopping out of May's arms and dropping to the floor. She then grabbed May's hand and dragged her over to Ash, before grabbing his hand and walking between them. This act once again flustered the two adults, but they quickly overcame it when Georgia started pulling them in the direction of the park.

"Please could you swing me?" Georgia asked politely, looking up at the adults. Ash and May smiled at each other.

"1…2…3… Go!" Ash and May counted in unison, and on the count of "go" the lifted the little girl up by her hands and swung her back and forth. Georgia laughed joyously, a sound that made both Ash and May smile brightly.

They repeated this act for the remainder of the five minute walk, with both adults smiling at Georgia's delight. When they reached the park, Georgia let go of their hands, and darted off towards the swings. Surprisingly, considering it was mid-afternoon and a rather warm day, they had the park to themselves.

"So, Ash," May grabbed his attention, "who are you planning to use in your battle with Agatha?" She asked, shooting Ash a glance as they made their way over to the swings, which Georgia had just climbed onto.

"I can't be revealing that information," Ash said matter of factly, before pausing, "mainly because I'm not sure myself." May giggled.

"Well she's mainly Ghost types, so surely a Pokémon with a Dark type attack?" Georgia suggested, having overheard the conversation, whilst she tried to give herself some momentum. May raised an eyebrow in surprise at the girl's knowledge, but after a moment, she realised it wasn't that surprising. Georgia must've grown up around Pokémon her entire life, and even at the age of five, she seemed very well informed.

"Good suggestion, Georgia," Ash complimented, smiling slightly at her attempts to get the swing going, so he moved around and started to gently push her. "What Pokémon does daddy have that can use a Dark type move?" he asked, stepping away to allow his daughter to use the momentum her gave her to independently move back and forth. Georgia looked thoughtful for moment.

"Greninja is part Dark type," Georgia answered slowly, still obviously thinking about more answers, "Glalie knows Crunch!" She added excitedly. Ash smiled, as did May.

"Good girl," Ash praised, patting her on the head on one of her back swings.

"She's very clever," May complimented quietly, as Ash moved to stand next to her, the two shared a smile.

"Yeah, the benefit of growing up with a Gym Leader slash Elite Four father," Ash replied, "she's spent her entire life surrounded by Pokémon, although I've never actually sat down and taught her, she just seemed to pick it all up naturally." May's smile grew wider.

"Like father, like daughter."

The two shared a smile at May's words.

 **EOC**

 **Jeeeeeeeeeez… this chapter has been tough, I can't tell you how frustrating it's been to write and can only apologise for how long it's taken! I've been a little snowed under with work which has been limiting my writing time and strangling my creativity somewhat.**

 **I'd like to say a huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, alerted and favourited this story... it sits at over a remarkable 2,000 views already! 37 faves and 49 alerts, and 34 reviews, and I'm so grateful for each and every one! 3**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **LONEWOFLF3957: I'm glad you enjoyed, I really wanted to get across the emotions that Ash was feeling during the worst part of his life. I'm pleased you also enjoy "How to change a life" it's a cracking read! Thank you, something that has become a big part of my writing is plot development, I want a clear image of what I'm going to write for each chapter before I even post the first! Wow that's high praise! However, I'm not sure about the state of the anime anymore! ;) thank you for reading my work!**

 **STEVEXCLAX: I tried to make it as least obvious as possible but needed to bring her up to bring across Ash's emotional state. There should be some more backstory on other characters, but I'm not sure when that'll be! Thank you for pointing that out, I've gone back and fixed it, an error on my behalf! I felt hideous writing the Contestshipping of If You Could See Me Now, but it was necessary for the plot development, I tried to make it appear that Drew was "suave" and "nice" to May but vile to Ash. Thank you for your kind words!**

 **ABOZ567: Thank you! I'm very happy I got the emotions across well, as it's the hardest thing for me to write! I tried to keep it as ambigious as possible, but obviously not as well as I could've done! ;) I really wanted to show Serena in a positive light, too many stories since her introduction in the anime (which I have not seen), have her in conflict, I wanted none of that.**

 **AMERAINWOMAN: As said above, I really didn't want to have them conflict, even though I've not seen Serena's character in the anime, I feel like she'd be the kind of person May would get along with (assuming!). I have plans for this story, but not sure how far I'll take it, at the moment, the battle with Agatha is the big showpiece finale, but I'd be happy to continue the story in the form of oneshots, showing various moments, but that might develop into it's own thing… who knows! Thank you, they've faced some issues… but are there more to come…?**

 **MANBEARPIG01: Thank you! I'm glad I've manage to find a unique way to use Aura, but still keep it somewhat relative to the anime!**

 **DEFENDER31415: I appreciate that! I'm glad I went for Aura as well, it allowed me a lot more creative freedom to tell Ash's story, and put a lot more emotion behind it. Thank you for the review!**

 **KODAKOHL: Yaaaaaass, feels achieved! =D I'd never forget you! 3 I'm glad you're enjoying! Actually, I've never watched Naruto, so it was an "original" idea for me!**

 **BRADLEY98: Here it is! ;)**

 **Until the next time, I've been Advanced Faith,**

 **You've all been awesome! =D**


	7. Preparation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pok** **émon.**

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower, Glaceon, Ice Beam!" May ordered.

"Sceptile, Counter Shield," Ash shouted. The duo were doing some two on one training with Ash's strongest Pokémon, in preperation for his showdown with Agatha.

The two attacks flew towards the green reptile, who suddenly leapt into action, spinning around on the floor, whilst using Razor Leaf, causing a sphere of green leaves to protect him from the two super effective moves. May watched in awe at Ash's technique. It was like he was the perfect combination of a Trainer's brute strength and a Coordinator's finesse.

"Now, Solarbeam!" In almost next to no time, the leaf sphere broke from around Sceptile, and a large beam fired out from where he stood, growing in size and brightness the closer it got. May had no time to react as the Solarbeam exploded on contact with Blaziken and Glaceon. As the dust settled, both were on the ground with swirls in their eyes, signalling that they'd been knocked out.

"Unbelievable…" May mumbled to herself, staring at Sceptile in awe. Ash approached his long time companion, and patted him on the back.

"Fantastic, Sceptile," he praised, "you're looking stronger than ever."

Sceptile flexed proudly, before running away and jumping up onto his favourite tree branch, where he laid back against the trunk and closed his eyes.

"Thank you for offering to help me train, May," Ash thanked, turning his attention to the still startled brunette.

"Anytime…" May said, her voice distant as she was still dazed from the pure power that Sceptile possessed. A loud and fast clapping snapped her out of her state, as she looked over and saw Georgia sat on the side of the battlefield, amazement evident on her young face.

"Sceptile's so powerful!" She exclaimed, jumping up and running over to May's fainted Pokémon. "Will they be okay?" Georgia asked, concern evident in her voice, as she looked down worriedly at Blaziken and Glaceon.

"They'll be fine, thank you for your concern," May answered, smiling at Georgia, "thank you for your effort guys." May returned her fainted Pokémon, before placing the balls in Ash's healing dock. "Ash Ketchum… How on Earth did you get your Sceptile powerful enough to take down two Pokémon it's supposedly weak to, with one Solarbeam?"

Ash smiled at May's question, "I've had a lot of time to work with him, he's been an almost permanent fixure whenever I'm in the League finals." May shook her head.

"And how did he charge that Solarbeam so quickly?" May asked again, still amazed at how easily Ash had taken down two of her strongest Pokémon.

"Hardwork, ever since I retired from travelling and taking on League's, I've been training with my Pokémon everyday, and now I've got such a huge battle coming up, I need them in the best shape they've ever been in."

May smiled at Ash's determination, but again, she could tell that there was an extra edge to his passion about this battle, almost like there was something bigger than Elite Four status riding on it.

The trio had headed back to Ash's house when they'd finished at the park, with May offering to help Ash prepare for his big match, an offer Ash was more than happy to accept.

" _ **Burn me alive, if you feel that's justified."**_

Ash's phone ringing caught everyone's attention. He fumbled around momentarily trying to fish it out of his pocket.

"Hello?" He greeted, unsure who was calling as he didn't recognise the number.

"Ash Ketchum, I believe it's your daughters birthday just before we battle, am I correct?" Agatha's voice came from the other side. Ash smiled when he realised who it was.

"Hi Agatha, yes that's right, two days before to be precise," Ash replied, smiling at Georgia as he spoke.

"Well, I've had a word with the League, and they want to throw a party up at the Indigo Plateau for her, we know it's a tough time for you and it'll be a nice distraction," Agatha said compassionately, fully aware that Georgia's birthday directly coincided with Serena's passing. There were very few people who knew what had happened during Georgia's birth, Agatha, and the other Elite Four members, were on that list. Ash smiled softly at the thought of the elderly lady.

"That's lovely, thank you so much, Agatha," Ash thanked. He knew that he always struggled emotionally around Georgia's birthday, and having a large gathering, mainly for her, would help him be able to cope better.

"Of course, they also want to use it to publicise our battle."

"Who can blame them?" Ash asked rhetorically, his smirk evident in his tone. Agatha wheezed out a laugh.

"I certainly don't, any excuse to get out and have some fun, especially considering," Agatha let the rest of the sentence hang in the air. Ash smiled sadly.

"Thanks for letting me know," Ash thanked again, "I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

"Goodbye, Ash." Ash hung up the phone and smiled brightly at Georgia, bending down and scooping her up.

"Who was that, daddy?" She asked, a confused look on her face.

"That was Agatha," Ash answered, he then lightly tapped Georgia on the nose, "and she's arranged a big birthday party for you just before she and I battle." Georgia's face lit up, and she clapped excitedly. A thought crossed Ash's mind.

"Hey, May," he said, turning to the brunette, who had been observing the scene, a big smile also on her face. He gulped slightly, and his face started turning red. May's smile turned to a smirk at Ash's flustering.

"W-would you l-like to be my d-date?" Ash asked, slightly stuttering his words. May tapped her chin, pretending to be considering it.

"I'd love to, Ash," she answered, giggling slightly at the unimpressed look on Ash's face at her actions.

"Not funny," he deadpanned.

"A little funny," May replied, her smirk growing wider, as she made a gesture with her fingers to indicate "little."

Georgia giggled in Ash's arms at the interaction, causing Ash's to stare wide eyed at her.

"Not you too!" He exclaimed, over dramatically, making Georgia laugh even more. Their interaction made May smile brightly, the connection between father and daughter was extremely evident. "I can't believe you've taken her side!"

"What can I say?" May winked, "the girl has good taste!"

Georgia stopped laughing abruptly, and started nodding in agreement. May blushed at Georgia's sharp agreement with her statement.

"Do you girls want to go into town and do a bit of shopping for the party?" Ash asked, after he realised he didn't have a suitable outfit. He frowned slightly at the thought of the last time he had worn a suit. May smiled brightly at his suggestion.

"That sounds great to me, Ash, I love shopping!" She exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands. Her excitement quickly spread to Georgia, who mimicked her actions.

Even though Ash wasn't one for shopping, he found May's happiness infectious, and his frown stretched into a genuine smile.

"C'mon then girls, let's get going."

-IBYL-

Ash groaned, internally cursing himself.

" _Why on Earth did I suggest_ **SHOPPING** _?"_ He mentally screamed. They had walked the fifteen minutes from Ash's house to the shopping centre, and immediately Georgia and May had tugged him this way and that, into various boring and often _smelly_ shops.

 _Literally_ dragging him. He couldn't believe how strong his almost six-year old was; it felt like his shoulder was going to pop out of its socket.

Not to mention he had been turned into a _donkey_. He was a pushover whenever Georgia desperately wanted something, and May had no self-control when she saw something she liked.

And typically, Ash felt obliged to carry the bags. _Big_ mistake.

But then he heard Georgia giggle at something May had whispered to her, as the duo walked ahead of the Gym Leader/donkey, and they both turned and smiled brightly at him. It made his heart swell with uncontrollable joy, without an ounce of the guilt he had almost become accustomed to.

"What? Have I turned into an Octillery?" He asked sarcastically, as the duo continued to giggle at him. Even Pikachu – perched on Georgia's head – was chuckling into his paws.

" _Traitor,"_ Ash thought to himself. "Actually, being an Octillery would be great right about now," Ash gestured to his full hands as he spoke, sending Georgia, May and Pikachu into another bout of giggles.

"Do you want to have a sit down for a bit?" May asked Ash softly, as she finished her giggling. Ash instantly nodded.

May couldn't prevent the smile that stretched across her face, she couldn't remember the last time she had had _this_ much fun – let alone the last time she'd felt this way around a guy.

She blushed slightly as she thought about what Serena had said to her.

" _I think you're perfect for Ash. And I think you're perfect for Georgia."_

May couldn't help but hope Serena was right. May adored Georgia, and she was pretty sure her feelings for Ash were even stronger.

"Are you okay, May?" Georgia asked, tugging at her hand. May had been in been so deep in her thoughts, she wasn't aware that the Pikachu had leapt onto Ash's shoulder, and the duo were looking at a map of the complex, to pick somewhere to sit down.

"I'm fine thank you, Georgia," May replied, scooping up the girl and tapping her on the nose, "are _you_?" She asked dramatically, eliciting another giggle.

"So am I! I love it when daddy is happy," she answered innocently, glancing over at her father. May followed her gaze.

Ash stretched up to point at something on the board, which raised his jacket a little, and May noticed something attached to his belt. It was an Ultra Ball. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" _I didn't see Ash bring any of his Pokémon with him, maybe it's Pikachu's?"_ She thought to herself, as she carried Georgia over to where the aforementioned duo were conversing.

"I don't care if you want to go somewhere that has ketchup; it's not all about you!" Ash exclaimed, Pikachu huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from Ash. "I swear you act more like a child than Georgia does!" Ash scolded.

"Pika!"

"Do too!"

"Pack it in! You're both acting like children!" May butted in, trying to make it seem like she was cross, but failing miserably due to the fact she was laughing at the pair. "You're making people stare!" She added, once she'd calmed down a bit.

Ash glanced around, and noticed various people pointing and whispering, something he was used to since his various success in tournaments, along with his position as Gym Leader.

"I had a question, Ash," May's voice snapped his focus back to the beautiful brunette.

"Fire away," Ash replied, as he gestured for her to follow him towards the restaurant he had chosen, May placed Georgia back down onto the floor, but the little girl quickly claimed May's hand as they walked.

"Is that Pikachu's Ultra Ball attached to your belt?" She asked, gesturing with her free hand towards the area she had caught a glimpse of the ball. May was shocked to see a dark expression momentarily flash across Ash's face, and even Pikachu's, before they glanced at each other and composed themselves.

"No, Pikachu's Poké Ball is safely stored upstairs in my house, this…" Ash shifted all the bags into his left hand, and tapped the Ultra Ball with his right, "Is a much more… troublesome, Pokémon, one I need to constantly supervise."

The Ultra Ball seemed to shake in response, as if the creature inside could hear the conversation. May noticed the temperature drop slightly at the same time; she desperately wanted to ask what Pokémon was inside, but the expression that had come on Ash's face put her off.

There was a slightly awkward silence among the group as they turned and started heading towards the restaurant Ash had selected.

"So, after lunch, are we going to go and shop for what we originally came for?" Ash broke the silence, winking at May as he spoke. May blushed slightly as she realised that they hadn't been to a single store to pick out attire for the party.

"Yeah, I suppose it's time we put you out of your misery," she joked back, patting Georgia lightly on the head as she spoke.

"That came out wrong," Ash said, grimacing, "I've been having a great time, just wanted to make sure we got what we _needed_ to get before the shops close."

May hummed and nodded in agreement, as they entered the bar. There was a long bar top across the room from them, with various beverages available, Ash nodded at the bartender as they walked through a door which was to the side of the bar, and through there was a small restaurant – only six or seven tables, most of which were unoccupied, apart from a family of three across the far side. Ash placed the bags down underneath one of the tables, before pulling out a chair and gesturing for May to sit.

"Ever the gentlemen," she said, a genuine smile on her face, one Ash reciprocated, before he turned around to pick up a high chair that had been placed up against the wall – by the doorway they had just come through. He placed it down in the gap, before scooping up Georgia and placing her in. Ash then sat down opposite May.

"This is a nice little place," May commented, glancing around the room and admiring the décor. She smirked slightly as she noticed a picture of Ash standing next to the bartender, holding a trophy and smiling brightly. "Is that why you brought me here, to show off?" She teased, winking at Ash and pointing towards the photo. Ash didn't even need to look to know what she was referencing.

"I can't help it when places in my hometown want to acknowledge my accomplishments," Ash boasted – in a joking tone – whilst shrugging in an attempt to be nonchalant. "I'm sure there are plenty of pictures of you in Petalburg!" he added.

May blushed, causing Ash to laugh.

"That's what I thought!" Ash exclaimed, winking at the blushing brunette. May glared at Ash and cuffed him playfully on the shoulder. A comfortable silence fell over the group as they perused the menus that had been awaiting them on the table.

"So, Ash," May started, closing her menu and placing it gently on the table. "Are you feeling confident about your battle with Agatha?"

Before he had a chance to answer, the waiter come over to the table and took their food and drink orders, and subsequently their menus. After thanking him, Ash turned to May.

"I'm not sure what to expect," He answered truthfully, "It's been a while since Agatha has been in a competitive battle."

"Do you think she'll be rusty?" May questioned. Once again, Ash didn't have the chance to answer, as the waiter returned with their drinks. May had ordered a glass of white wine, Ash had a pint of lager, whilst Georgia had a flavoured soft drink. The waiter had even brought over a little pot of ketchup, which Pikachu promptly helped himself to.

"Thank you," Ash said as the waiter turned to leave. He took a sip of his drink before answering May's question. "I'd be very surprised; ever since I've known her she's never been one to slack off. In fact, I'd expect her Pokémon to be in top form."

May pondered this for a moment, every time she'd taken a break from contests; she and her Pokémon had come back better and stronger than before.

"The most important thing about this battle, from my perspective, win or lose, I just want to send her out on a high."

May smiled sadly at Ash's comment.

"Is this confirmed as her last battle?" May asked. Ash nodded. "Are you guaranteed the position regardless of the result?"

Ash pondered the question momentarily. "No, if I lose then there would be a battle between me and the winner of the Indigo League to decide who takes over the role." May raised an eyebrow at this.

"That doesn't make sense to me, you've basically held the position whilst Agatha has been unwell, so surely you're the ideal candidate?"

"Maybe so, but nobody can be given such a position of power and responsibility by default, it has to be earned," Ash replied. "And I certainly don't want to be presented it by default, I've worked hard for this, I need to be given the position on merit."

May smiled at Ash's words, the determination and drive he felt was evident in his demeanour and voice. At this point the waiter came over with their dishes, and they ate in a comfortable silence, with Ash every now and again leaning over to assist Georgia with some food she was struggling to cut through.

Once they'd finished their meals, the waiter came back and cleared their table, with Ash ordering one more round of drinks.

"But no more ketchup for this rascal, Jake," the Gym Leader smirked at the waiter, whilst lightly tapping Pikachu on the head.

"Pikapi!" the electric mouse protested. The group laughed at Pikachu's reaction.

"Just kidding, buddy, but we do need to have a chat about your… ahem… problem," Ash added, winking at his long-time companion. Pikachu glared back at him, cheeks sparking slightly.

"Pack it in you two!" May said, once again acting as a mediator through her laughter. Jake smiled at the interaction between them, before heading off to pour the drinks.

"Hi, I-I'm really sorry to bother you…" A timid voice said from behind Ash. The latter turned and noticed it was the young child who was with the family when they entered.

"Hi there, can I help you?" Ash said kindly, causing May to smile, she could hear the father in him creeping out as he spoke to the young boy.

"I-I'm a really big fan, could I please have a photo with you and Pikachu?" the young boy asked, looking down nervously and playing with his hands.

"Absolutely, I'd be happy to," Ash replied brightly, causing a wide smile to form on the young boys face. "What's your name, son?"

"I'm Chris!" he exclaimed happily.

"Well, Chris, it's lovely to meet you," Ash said, standing up as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder, "are your parents going to take the photo for you?" he asked. Chris nodded enthusiastically, and the couple who were sat on the other side of the room stood up and came over.

Ash turned around to introduce himself to them but a look of shock covered his face as he recognised the parents. The mother was a tall, slim lady with long pink hair, the father was an inch shorter than his partner, and had a mop of purple hair.

"How are you doing, Twerp?" Jessie asked, smirking. Ash's mouth gaped open and shut like a Magikarp.

"I-I don't believe it," he stuttered, "you two have had a kid and you didn't tell me?!" he exclaimed, pulling the duo into a big hug.

"Well, it's pretty hard to get a hold of you since you became temporary Elite Four," James answered, as Ash released the pair.

"Sorry, where are my manners, May, this is Jessie and James, we have a… complicated history," Ash introduced, gesturing from the pair to the bemused brunette, who had been watching the interaction with a small smile on her face.

"It's nice to meet you, May, but complicated is putting it lightly, Twerp," Jessie replied, smirking as she shook May's hand.

"It's nice to meet you two," May said politely, also reaching over and shaking James' hand. Ash laughed lightly at Jessie's comment.

"It most definitely is," Ash responded. "And obviously you two know my little girl, Georgia."

"How could we forget this cutie?" James asked rhetorically, bending down to the girl's level and playfully tapping her nose. Georgia giggled at the gesture.

"Hi Uncle James, Aunt Jessie," she greeted with an enthusiastic wave.

"Come, sit, join us!" Ash exclaimed, pulling up three chairs for the family. "We apparently have a lot to catch up on," he added, gesturing slightly to Chris stood behind him.

"Firstly though, you promised our boy a photo!" Jessie replied, pulling out a camera. Ash crouched down next to Chris and put an arm around his shoulder, Pikachu hopped onto the boys head and the trio smiled brightly as Jessie took the photo.

"So, what did you mean when you said you had a complicated history?" May asked, as everyone got settled around the table. Ash, Jessie and James shared a look, where Ash silently asked whether Chris knew about the duos past exploits, after getting a non-verbal answer, Ash turned to May to answer her question.

"Well, Jessie and James used to be part of Team Rocket, along with a talking Meowth." May's eyes opened in shock, both at the fact that there was a talking Meowth, and that she had met two former Rocket members, her eyes flicked between the parents sat to her left hand side. A look of shame was evident on their faces. "They changed, I'm not really sure what happened because they've never told me," Ash shot the duo a pointed look, "But they have become really strong allies and friends, they were heavily responsible for helping me bring down Team Rocket as an organisation, and assisted in helping me renovate my house and the Gym." May smiled as the story went on, pleased for the pair, even though she'd only just met them, it was nice to hear they'd seen the error in their ways and tried to make amends.

"That reminds me, how is Meowth doing? He's been awful at keeping in touch with us," James asked.

"He's doing great, Professor Oak says he's been an absolute blessing," Ash replied, "And he's been great looking after my Pokémon when I'm away on my duties." May shot Ash a quizzical look. "Ohh right, when Team Rocket were officially disbanded, Meowth was really unsure about what to do with himself, so I suggested that he help Professor Oak out by acting as a Poké Translator, as having that perspective is invaluable to the Professor's research."

"And I'm guessing that helps him look after your Pokémon whilst you're away?" May asked, Ash nodded, before turning his attention to the ex-Rockets.

"So what brings you to Pallet Town?" he asked.

"We heard on the news about your upcoming battle with Agatha, and there was no way we were going to miss it," Jessie answered.

"Chris wouldn't let us, he's one of your biggest fans," James added, smiling and patting his son on the head. Ash smiled brightly.

"Well let me pull some strings, and I'll get you guys in the VIP box with my family and other friends," Ash responded, "It'll give you a good chance to catch up with Meowth as well."

May smiled at Ash's offer, and felt a light bubbling in her chest. There was just something about the way Ash cared about everyone he met, that such a simple action – not even aimed at her – left May with butterflies.

"That's very kind of you, Twerp," Jessie thanked, "We'll be there cheering you on."

"It was great to see you again, and a pleasure to meet you, May," James said, "But we should be getting back before it's too late."

Ash and May stood up to bid their farewells to the family, before Ash headed up to the bar to settle their tab. May tried to insist on paying her share, but Ash stubbornly refused, saying it was his treat.

"Right, shall we go and get our outfits now?" Ash said with a slight smirk, as they exited the bar, his arms once again loaded with bags. May playfully swatted his shoulder, causing Pikachu and Georgia to laugh. The latter then scurried over to May's other side, and grabbed the brunette's hand, causing May to blush slightly.

Ash glanced over at them and felt a warm sensation flood through his veins at his daughter's action. He hadn't had any interest in dating since Serena's passing, but he knew that the person he did decide to take that step with would need to have a positive relationship with Georgia. He knew he felt strongly about May, and watching her interactions with his daughter – how easily and happily the brunette had accepted the two into her life – made those feelings grow every time he saw her.

Ash was snapped out of his train of thoughts when they arrived at the designers he felt would be best for their outfits. As soon as they entered the store Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and found a cushion to curl up on, expecting this to take a fair while. Ash smirked slightly at his companions actions, before placing all the bags down next to the electric mouse.

"Look after these, please?" Pikachu nodded in response. "Thanks, buddy," Ash thanked, giving Pikachu a scratch on the top of his head, earning a coo. Ash turned around and saw May getting dragged over to the kids section by Georgia, who was excitedly claiming she wanted to pick her outfit first. May and Ash locked eyes and the former gave the Gym Leader a smile that took his breath away.

"She's a fine lady, I've not seen Georgia that comfortable with anyone for a long time," a voice said from Ash's side, startling him slightly. Stood next to him was a petite brunette woman, wearing a black business suit and a white shirt. Apart from a few extra wrinkles on her face, you wouldn't have been able to tell her apart from Delia Ketchum.

"You startled me, Aunt Rose," Ash exclaimed, pulling his mother's sister into a hug, earning a light chuckle from the lady. "I'm assuming mum has told you all about her?" he asked, pulling out of the hug.

"She certainly did, now introduce me." Ash rolled his eyes at his aunt's behaviour. The duo wandered over to where Georgia was pointing out the 'pretty outfits' that she liked to May, who was giving the young girl her own opinions, the bright smile she had given Ash seemingly etched onto her face.

"May, I'd like to introduce you to my Aunt Rose," Ash said, grabbing May's attention, who's eyes widened in surprise as she look at the woman next to Ash.

"Yes, I do get that a lot," Rose said playfully at Mays reaction, "I'm Delia's older sister, it's lovely to meet the lady that she's been gushing over," she added with a smirk, reaching over and shaking May's hand. Both Ash and May blushed at Rose's comment.

"Rose owns this shop," Ash added, being the first to get over Rose's comment, "Mum actually helps design some of the outfits, and Rose makes them, she's a wizard with a sewing machine." May smiled.

"It's lovely to meet you, Rose," May said, smiling brightly at Ash's aunt, a faint tint of red still evident from Rose's earlier praise, who smiled in response.

"So, I assume you are here to pick up outfits for the little rascals birthday?" Rose asked, bending over and scooping Georgia as she spoke, then proceeding to tickle her.

"Hi Auntie!" Georgia exclaimed through her giggles.

"How are you, precious?" Rose asked, giving Georgia a big cuddle.

"I'm so excited for my party!" Georgia exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.

"Well, how about we pick you out an outfit to make you look even more adorable?" Rose asked rhetorically, carrying Georgia over to the girls dress section and pointing out suggestions. "I'll help you two in a moment, see if there's any designs you particularly like and we'll get it sized for you," She called to Ash and May over her shoulder.

May turned and smiled at Ash, before grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the woman's dresses. Ash felt his heart rate increase. Just the simple action of holding May's hand seemed to make him feel more alive than ever, even when it came to Serena.

"You're going to help me pick something out, mister." Ash couldn't help the grin that formed on his face at May's playful tone.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, saluting with his free hand, causing May to giggle. Ash let go of May's hand and stepped forward and glanced at the dresses in front of him, his hand resting on his chin as he browsed.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a sapphire halterneck choker dress which perfectly matched the colour of May's eyes.

"Ash… That's perfect," May gushed, as she followed his eye sight, "Are there changing rooms for me to try it on?"

"Yes my dear, just head through the door on the right hand side of the counter, let me help Ash pick something out and we'll all go through and see how these fit you three," Rose answered, walking up behind the duo with Georgia held in one arm, and a dress in the other. May felt her face heat up slightly as she noticed that the dress Rose had picked out for Georgia matched the colour of the dress Ash had picked out.

"I'm guessing it'll be a blue suit by the colour combination we've got going on here," Rose mused, before guiding the duo over to the male suit section.

The group stood there in silence for a few minutes, each of them browsing the selection.

"That one," May cut through the silence, pointing at a blue three piece that was on display on a mannequin. Rose gave it, and Ash, the once over, as if picturing the raven-haired trainer in the suit.

"You have fine taste, May," she finally commented, "I assume you have your measurements, Ash?"

Ash nodded in response, and searched through the racks for a suit that should fit him. Once he did, Rose guided them through to the back, all the while chatting with Georgia.

When they reached the back room, there were six cubicles lined up, three either side, with a full-length mirror on the wall at the end of the room. In the direction that they'd just come from, six chairs lined up along the wall, next to the door. Rose put Georgia back on the floor, before gesturing for Ash to take her into one of the cubicles, handing him the dress she'd picked out for the upcoming birthday girl.

"Get the both of you changed, then come out and let me and May see how you look," Rose said, before turning and smiling at the brunette in question, "Then we'll see how that dress fits her."

Ash nodded, and went into the nearest cubicle on the left, with Georgia on his heels.

"So May, Delia has told me you're a world renowned Co-Ordinator?" Rose asked, gesturing for May to take a seat on one of the chairs. May flushed slightly as she sat down.

"I wouldn't say world renowned," She replied quietly, feeling slightly embarrassed at all the praise Ash's family were giving her.

"Please," Rose scoffed, "Even without Delia's description, I would've recognised the Princess of Hoenn anywhere." May's blush deepened. "I was a Co-Ordinator myself, I only stopped travelling when Georgia was born, and decided to settle down nearby to assist in any way I could." May smiled at the selflessness, a trait that seemed to be present in every member of Ash's family that she'd met.

"How many Grand Festivals is it that you've won now?" Rose asked.

"Re-entering and winning the Johto won was my fifth," May answered shyly, not wanting to seem like she was bragging.

"That's mightily impressive, are you still active in the contest circuit?"

"I've taken a break from it for a while, I'm actually lecturing at the University here, trying to inspire the next generation of Co-Ordinators."

"That's an admirable goal," Rose commented, smiling at the brunette, "Pallet Town could do with some quality Co-Ordinators, all we're known for in the world of Pokémon is our esteemed Professor or battling."

"That's not a bad thing to be known for!" Ash exclaimed, stepping out of the booth, holding Georgia's hand, both fully dressed in their outfits.

Ash's three piece fitted his physique perfectly, showing off his toned arm muscles. He'd left the suit jacket unbuttoned, but had done up the waistcoat and put on a brown tie over a white shirt, having also chosen some brown leather shoes. **(AN: Imagine the Tenth Doctor's blue suit, but with only one button on the jacket and a waistcoat.)**

Georgia's dress reached just below her knees, and was fairly simple in its design, but had a brown leather belt that went around her stomach and back that was the same brown as Ash's tie and shoes.

May's eyes locked with Ash's and she felt her heart beat increase.

"You look great, Ash," She said timidly, a soft smile on her face. Ash felt his face heat up at the praise.

"Thank you, May," Ash thanked, in an equally soft voice, before turning to Aunt Rose, "What do you reckon, Aunt Rose?"

"Spot on," Rose said immediately, "Now, May dear, go try on your dress and we'll see the three of you together." May nodded, and headed into the nearest cubicle on the right hand side.

"Why didn't you just have us go in at the same time?" Ash asked Rose quietly, stepping over to the shop owner so that May didn't overhear.

"Ash, I've never seen you or Georgia connect with someone so well," Rose answered, matching the volume of Ash's voice. "She's a lovely woman and I wanted to see if your mother was right about her." Ash flushed slightly at the thought of his mother talking openly about him and May.

"What has mum been saying about her?"

"That she's never seen you this happy," Rose answered, before fixing Ash with a look, one that he couldn't interpret. "Even with Serena."

Ash frowned slightly.

"To be honest, Rose," he started, "I've been thinking the same thing… and since Serena passed, I thought that I'd always feel guilty about potentially moving on… but I don't."

Rose smiled sadly. She could hear the confusion in Ash's voice, and she felt her heart ache for her nephew.

"No one deserves what you and Serena went through, and although I know there will always be a place for Serena in your heart," Ash nodded at this, "I also know that she'd want you to be happy, and that if anyone deserves happiness, it's you."

Ash smiled gratefully at his aunt, and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"Thank you."

"You look very pretty, May!" the duo heard Georgia squeal.

Ash was the first to look at May, and had to focus most of his energy on not letting his jaw drop.

May looked absolutely stunning.

She'd pulled her hair up into a simple ponytail, but the dress hugged her figure in all the right places, accentuating her impressive physique, whilst coming to a stop just below her knees. May had chosen a pair of heels that matched the dress in colour, but that weren't too tall that she'd struggle to walk in them.

"You… look incredible," Ash forced out, unable to take his eyes away from the stunning brunette in front of him. May blushed and nervously fiddled with her hands – she couldn't look Ash in the eyes whilst he was giving her such an intense look, it made her heart race.

"The three of you line up," Rose ordered. Ash gulped, and walked over to stand next to May, placing a hand on Georgia's head and guiding her so she stood just in front of them. Ash and May's eyes locked and they felt a rush of electricity run through them. They both smiled at each other.

"Thank you," May said quietly, in reference to the compliment Ash had given her.

"Just saying it how I see it," Ash replied. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, seemingly just drinking each other in. Ash found it remarkable how May's eyes just seemed to shine with life and happiness. He found himself feeling uncontrollable joy whenever he looked into them. It was like they were a doorway to paradise.

They were snapped out of their daze however, when they heard a snapping from Rose's direction, and they both turned to see Ash's aunt holding up her phone, with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Delia is going to absolute love this."

"Aunt Rose!" Ash cried indignantly.

"What?" She asked innocently, "Your mother will love this photo, it's beautiful!"

"You could've given us warning!" Ash protested. May's face was once again red, not out of embarrassment of having the photo taken, but due to the urge she had to get Rose to send her the photo.

"That would've ruined the moment you two were having!" Rose exclaimed.

"You did that by taking the picture!" Ash retorted.

"Oh quit moaning, you'll take one look at this and fall in love with it," Rose replied, rolling her eyes and Ash's dramatic behaviour. She then held out her phone, allowing Ash and May to approach and take a look.

Ash was stood on the left hand side of the photo, with May on the right, and Georgia standing in front of Ash, but Ash and May were twisted so that they were looking at each other, both wearing the same smile – wide and bright, full of joy. Ash's right hand was resting on Georgia's shoulder, and the little girl was looking up at the pair, also wearing a bright smile.

Ash thought his heart was going to melt when he noticed that Georgia had grabbed a hold of May's hand just before the picture had been taken.

"Told you," Rose said, smirking. Ash realised that he'd been grinning at the photo for a fairly long time. "I've already texted it over to you."

"Thank you," Ash thanked quietly, blushing slightly at how Rose had been right – he'd taken one look and adored the picture.

"Alright you three, go back and get changed and we'll settle up," Rose ordered, Ash nodded, and guided Georgia back into the cubicle they'd originally changed in.

May was still looking at the photo, wearing the same grin that Ash had been.

"It is a lovely photo, isn't it?" she asked quietly, looking up into Rose's eyes. The shop owner smiled brightly at May.

"It certainly is," she agreed, "Give me your number and I'll send it to you as well."

"Thank you!" May exclaimed, before giving Rose her number. She then headed off to get changed herself.

"They look like such a happy family," Rose muttered quietly, still looking at the photo herself. She glanced up at the cubicle that Ash had gone into.

"I really hope you let yourself have this, Ashy," she whispered to herself. "You certainly deserve someone as wonderful as May, and you deserve a chance to have the family you dreamt of."

 **EOC**

 **Firstly, let me apologise for the remarkable delay in this story. I've got no excuse for my absence, I just could not get through this chapter.**

 **This was mainly filler, whilst also building up the Ash/May/Georgia dynamic.**

 **I hope you liked the inclusion of the Rockets, Meowth will feature in the future.**

 **Did you like Aunt Rose? I've always found it irritating that Ash has seemingly no family other than Delia (unless I'm forgetting something), so I gave an OC a shot.**

 **I appreciate everyone who is still reading this, even after such a long break. I'm seriously hoping to be able to finish this story by the New Year, fingers crossed the inspiration I've had the last few days stays with me.**

 **Normally I'd do a little review reply section here, but I'm a bad person and genuinely can't remember where I'd got to in my last response section.**

 **I've been Advanced Faith, see you awesome peeps next time!**


	8. The Party

**Chapter 8**

Ash and May slipped into a comfortable routine in the days following their shopping trip. Ash would slip into May's lectures when she was working at the university, and when she wasn't they'd spend most of the day helping train Ash's Pokémon, to ensure they were all in top physical condition in case he called upon them for the battle. With the news about the battle confirmed to the public, the Pokémon League had enforced Ash to temporarily close the gym, which he has asked May to apologise to Max about, as he was well aware the latter still wanted a rematch.

No matter how much she tried, May couldn't get Ash to spill the beans about the team he was going to use. May was very impressed with how diligently Ash trained all his Pokémon, ensuring not one of them was left out, and that he covered all the necessities, including strengthening their resistance to their type weakness.

On this particular day, May was sat in the lounge of Ash's house, taking a breather herself whilst Ash ran his Pokémon through some drills on the other side of the window, with Georgia sat on a deck chair, also shouting encouragement. May took a sip of the beverage Ash had made her whilst he had also taken a brief break from the session.

May couldn't help but be amazed with how confident and poised Ash looked whenever he commanded his Pokémon, during the past few days of training, she couldn't believe the difference in his personality – from the shy man she had met on the speed dating evening, to the powerful, confident Gym Leader, and arguably one of the most powerful trainers in the world. May smirked slightly at that thought, she had learnt an awful lot about the raven haired man in the time since they had first met.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock on the door, causing her to glance towards it, then back at Ash. Noticing that he wasn't aware of the knocking, she got up and walked over. May stood on her tiptoes to peer through the peephole. She smiled as she recognised the pair on the other side.

"Hey guys, how are you?" She asked, opening the door to reveal Brock and Misty. The pair looked a little surprised to see May open the door, and not Ash, but quickly shook off the surprise.

"We're very well thank you, May," Misty answered, as the three stepped inside the house.

"Where's Ash?" Brock asked.

"Outside, getting in some last minute preparation, before we head up to the Indigo Plateau later." Brock smirked at May's answer.

"Of course, what else should I have expected?" He asked rhetorically, rolling his eyes. May and Misty both giggled at Brock's response. "I'll go see if he wants any help," Brock added, wandering over to the back door, then out into the corral.

May smiled in the direction Brock had gone, before glancing back at a smirking Misty. May took a step back from the orange-haired woman in front of her.

"W-What's that look for?" May stammered out, making Misty smirk even more.

"Sooooooo," Misty sang in a teasing tone. "Have you been spending a lot of time at Ash's house?" Misty winked.

May could feel her cheeks warming up as she flustered at Misty's insinuation.

"I may have been," May retorted, crossing her arms and turning her nose up. "But I've been helping him train his Pokémon!"

Misty burst out laughing. "You're so easy to wind up, May." May huffed, and walked over to the sofa, picking up her drink and sitting down. Misty frowned slightly at May's reaction, before following her over and sitting down next to her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I was just teasing," Misty apologised, placing a hand on May's shoulder. The brunette sighed, placing her glass down and turning to face her friend.

"I know, but it's just..." May replied, trailing off and glancing outside, where she could see Ash, holding Georgia in his arms, animatedly talking to Brock, occasionally glancing in the direction of his training Pokémon.

May sighed again, looking down at the floor.

"What is it, May?" Misty asked. There was a momentary pause before she added, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

May smiled slightly at Misty, before looking out at the group outside again. Brock and Ash were stood side by side, however Georgia was off playing with some of the Pokémon, who were taking a breather. This time Ash was looking in their direction, and as their eyes met, May felt a spark rush through her body. Ash smiled at her, before waving in her direction. May replied with a bright smile, and a small wave, before turning back to Misty.

"I... I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with him."

 **-IBYL-**

"They're looking good out there."

Ash smiled as he turned at the sound of Brock's voice.

"Yeah, they've been doing great, really putting in a shift," Ash replied, clasping Brock's outstretched hand in his own, before scooping up Georgia.

"Hey there little Gee, how are you?" Brock asked, ruffling Georgia's hair, causing the girl to giggle.

"I'm good thank you Uncle Brock!" She exclaimed happily. Brock smiled back at his best friend's daughter, before turning his attentions to the father in question.

"Any ideas for your team to face Agatha?" Brock asked, walking up so that he was stood next to Ash, the duo looking out over the corral at the training Pokémon. Ash glanced sideways at him.

"Maybe…" He replied, with a sly wink. Brock smirked at his reply.

"Well it must help having a good knowledge of Agatha's team?" Brock asked. Ash shifted Georgia a little higher in his grip, placing her so she was sat on his right arm, and the girl responded by hooking her arms around her dad's neck.

"Somewhat," Ash replied, with a non-committal shrug. "She's still going to have plenty of surprises up her sleeves."

"Are you planning on using… you-know-who?" Brock asked warily.

The temperature around them dropped slightly, causing Brock to shiver, however, Ash seemed unfazed.

"I don't know…" He replied, keeping his eyes focussed on his Pokémon, his voice sounding distant. "It all depends on what Agatha throws at me, but I trust that the team I select from these can handle it," Ash added, gesturing towards the group in front of them.

"That's the answer I expected," Brock replied, throwing Ash a smile, which the raven-haired Gym Leader returned. Brock's smile turned into a sly one, and Ash gulped, knowing what was coming.

"Hey Georgia, why don't you go play with some of the Pokémon?" Ash suggested, in a nervous tone, placing his daughter back on the ground.

"Okay daddy!" Georgia agreed, running off towards the group. "It's playtime, Pikachu!" She added, jumping in the air slightly as she ran. Ash smiled towards his daughter, before he glanced at Brock, and gulped again at the expression on his friends face.

"Soooooo…" Brock sang in a teasing voice. "Have you been spending much time with May?" He asked, slightly nudging Ash's arm. The latter flushed, and took a step back.

"Yes we have, but she's been helping me prepare, nothing like you're insinuating!" Ash exclaimed, before taking a deep breath and sighing, "It somewhat feels like it's moving… _too_ quickly at times, but at others, I realise just how much I… and Georgia, enjoy having her around," Ash added, turning his head to look back at the house.

He ended up catching May's eye as she looked in their direction, and Ash felt a spark rush through his body. He smiled brightly and waved at the brunette, who shyly returned the gesture.

Brock watched Ash with a surprised expression, he had brought the topic up jokingly, but wasn't expecting such an honest answer.

"Why do you feel like that?" Brock asked softly. Ash turned his gaze back to Brock.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just scared to feel like this again," He replied, with a small shrug. Brock frowned at his response, and paused momentarily, wary of pushing Ash too much. Since Serena's passing, it was very rare to get these moments where Ash would be honest about his feelings.

"Feel like what, mate?" Brock asked, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder.

Ash caught Brock's gaze, and the latter could see the conflict in his friends' eyes.

"To feel in love again."

 **-IBYL-**

Ash pulled the belt around Georgia's waste, slipping the fabric into the buckle, and pulling it tight.

"How's that?" He asked, ensuring that he didn't put the belt on too tight.

"Perfect daddy!" Georgia replied enthusiastically. Ash fastened the belt, before standing upright.

It was the afternoon of Georgia's birthday, two days before Ash's battle with Agatha, and the two were in their hotel room, getting ready for the party that was to be thrown in the large function room off to the side of the building that overlooked the stadium.

Ash had been surprised at how easily he had kept his emotions in check, usually he was a complete mess on Georgia's birthday, as it coincided with Serena's passing. Ash pulled on his suit jacket over the top of his waistcoat, doing the top button up.

" _I'm probably okay today because of May…"_ Ash thought, a small smile crossing his face. He couldn't find the right words to describe how he felt around May, she brought out such intense emotions in him, they almost didn't feel real.

Ash, May and Georgia had spent the day exploring what the Indigo Plateau had to offered. Ash had taken them to his office in the main League Headquarters building, which was where he spent the time doing paperwork whenever he had to deal with an incident. He had also given them a tour around the facilities where he would be battling, showing them the dressing room he'd prepare in, along with walking them onto the battlefield.

The trio had then gone into the shopping district, with Ash treating them to some lunch, followed by ice cream. Before May had exclaimed that she had to make sure she was ready for the party, which Ash had raised an eyebrow at, stating that they still had two hours before they needed to be there.

Ash smiled more at the memories of the day, before smiling down at his birthday girl. The plan was for him, May and Georgia to arrive "fashionably late" so they could ensure all the guests had arrived.

"Are you ready, sweetheart?" Ash asked, bending down so he was at Georgia's eye level.

"Of course, daddy!" Georgia exclaimed, "I can't wait to see May!"

Ash smiled at his daughters' excitement. "Me neither," he said softly, standing up and taking Georgia's hand. "C'mon Pikachu!"

The yellow mouse perked his ears up from Ash's bed, where he had been dozing.

"Pika?" he asked dozily.

"It's party time!" Georgia said, jumping up and down. Pikachu jumped up at Georgia's enthusiasm.

"Pikachu!" he jumped from the bed and onto Ash's shoulder in one swift movement. Ash scratched electric-type's head with his free hand, before the three of them headed out the room, and knocked on May's door. She was staying in the room next door.

"Hang on one second!" Ash heard May's voice call from the other side, and he suddenly found himself getting struck with an intense nervous feeling. His free hand subconsciously rose and started fiddling with his tie, ensuring it was tightened and straight. Ash then ran that hand through his hair, which was in it's usual unruly state. He glanced down at Georgia, who was still holding onto his hand as well as bouncing lightly on her feet, clearly excited about the upcoming party.

Ash's attention was drawn to the door when it swung inwards, revealing a sight that almost had Ash's jaw on the floor. Although he'd seen May wearing her outfit previously, when they'd first bought it at his Aunt Rosa's shop, he couldn't believe just how _beautiful_ she was. He had already accepted that he was very much attracted to May, and acknowledged her looks internally in the past, but he couldn't recall outright telling her. In fact, Ash found himself so awestruck, that he wasn't even aware that Georgia had let go of his hand to go and hug May.

" _You look perfect,"_ Ash whispered, quiet enough that the only one who could hear it was Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, who smirked towards his trainer.

May had opened the door feeling incredibly nervous. She was well aware that her and Ash had been spending a lot of time together, and she had long since come to terms and accepted her feelings for Ash, but this would be their first formal date. Sure, they had gone to dinner the night they'd met, but May had gone to the initial speed dating event with the bare minimum of expectations, no matter how much Brock and Misty had tried to convince her it would be worthwhile.

'It's definitely been worthwhile...' May thought to herself with a soft smile.

She was dragged out of her thoughts by a blur of light brown hair, and a pair of small arms wrapping around her waist. Snapping out of her initial shock at Georgia's show of affection, May smiled brightly, and placed a hand on the girls' head.

"Hey there birthday girl!" May exclaimed, a playful tone to her voice. "Are you ready for the party?"

"Hi May! I sure am!" Georgia replied excitedly. May's smile brightened at this, and she shifted her hand from Georgia's head onto her upper back, and she looked up at Ash and ended up almost physically taking a step back away from him.

May had often seen guys 'checking her out.' She was aware that she was a good looking woman, but she had been on the receiving end of many perverted looks, but the look that Ash giving her sent a shiver down her spine. May had never been flustered by the way that someone looked at her, but she felt heat rising to her cheeks at the expression on Ash's face. Unlike the other looks from guys she had received, the look was not one of lust, it was one of... dare May think it... love.

"M-May... you look beautiful," Ash stuttered out, barely above a whisper.

If May wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now.

"You don't look so bad yourself," She said cheekily, trying to conceal the feelings bubbling up inside her, jokingly straightening Ash's tie as she spoke. She glanced up at caught Ash's eyes and was surprised by the sudden closeness, even though she was the one who had closed the gap. Her hand subconsciously rested on Ash's chest and she felt her heart skip a beat. After what seemed like an eternity gazing into each others eyes, they were disrupted by a yellow paw waving in front of their faces.

Ash cleared his throat. "W-we should head down," he stuttered. May nodded slowly, turning around and closing her door. She turned back to Ash and smiled.

"Let's go."

As they set off towards the function room that would be hosting the party, Georgia grabbed onto May's left hand and walked alongside her, causing the brunette Co-ordinator to smile down at the young girl. May glanced to Ash, who was walking on her right, with Pikachu on his right shoulder. He was also smiling at the interaction. At this moment, May decided to test the waters, and slipped her right hand into Ash's left. She saw a flash of surprise cross Ash's face, and her stomach sank, thinking she'd pushed her luck too far. May looked straight ahead of her in an attempt to disguise her disappointment and started to loosen her grip on Ash's hand, but was pleasantly surprised when _he_ readjusted the hold and tightened his grip. May looked back at him and saw an even brighter smile on his face than when Georgia had grabbed May's hand. The latter felt her face heating up again at Ash's expression.

"Daddy, what song are you going to play?" Georgia asked suddenly, once again snapping Ash and May out of the moment they had been having. May was surprised by the question and looked at Ash with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, that _was supposed_ to be a surprise..." Ash said, a small smirk on his face. "So you'll just have to be patient, sweetheart." Georgia seemed to accept this answer as she didn't respond.

"I didn't know you played music? What instrument?" May questioned, the quizzical look still on her face.

"I like to write songs in my spare time, and the guitar," Ash answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, feeling foolish for not bringing it up before, considering all the time him and May had been spending together.

"Kept that quiet," May joked, nudging Ash's side with her right elbow. The raven-haired man just grinned and winked at her. They walked the rest of the way to the function room in a comfortable silence. They stopped outside the door, and May could hear chattering and music playing from the other side, and suddenly, she was struck with the nervous feeling again. Again, this was caused by her sudden awareness that, even though they weren't a couple, this was very much one of their first public outings together. This secondary realisation of that fact brought about another realisation, one she had already thought when they had tried on their outfits for the evening.

That they looked like a _family_.

Ash must've sensed her nerves, _or was feeling his own_ , and squeezed her hand, and shot her a vibrant sideways smile.

"You ready?" He asked softly. May gulped, then nodded.

The function room had a stage at the far end, with an arrangement of instruments set up for a band, although the music currently being played was coming out of speakers placed in each corner of the room, and was obviously pre-recorded, as the instruments on stage were unoccupied. There was a large space in the middle of the room, so that guests could dance. The half nearest the entrance they had come through had been filled with tables and chairs, so the guests could sit and eat. On the sides of the hall were large glass doors, which opened out onto a balcony on their right hand side, facing the stadium. Outside the other glass doors were a large set of staircases, that went down into the hotels exquisite garden – this was were Ash's Pokémon were staying during the build up. All of his Pokémon had been relocated here in preparation, to ensure that Agatha didn't get any clues to the team he was planning to use.

May's eyes darted around the room, there were plenty of people milling around, some in small groups, others in large, and there was a buzz of conversation. She could see Brock and Misty having an animated discussion with Delia and Ash's Aunt Rose – seeing those two in the same room was slightly disorientating, as it showed _exactly_ how alike they looked.

The group of four who had just entered, headed over in that direction, with Georgia letting go of May's hand halfway there and running all the way to Delia. May heard Ash whisper something to Pikachu, who nodded and hopped of his shoulder, running towards the door that led out to where the other Pokémon were.

"Nanny!" Georgia cried, which grabbed Delia's attention, and drew May's back from where she had watched Pikachu go. The latter scooped up the girl and in one motion swung her around and brought her into a hug. May glanced at Ash, and the look of pure love on his face made her heart skip a beat, she could clearly see the interaction made him so happy. She glanced back and caught Misty's eye, who winked at her, gesturing towards their joined hands. May felt her face flush, and was somewhat glad Georgia had run ahead, as it quelled _some_ of the nerves she had.

"Hey guys!" Ash greeted excitedly, as they approached. May was slightly disappointed when he let go of her hand to give everyone a hug, but was snapped out of that when she received a hug of her own from Rose.

"You look gorgeous, May," the older woman said as the two embraced. May could feel her face flushing at the compliment.

"Thank you, Rose, this dress is stunning!" May said, returning a compliment on Rose's work. The latter waved her off.

"It's only as stunning as the person wearing it," Rose winked, and May flushed again.

May was surprised when she felt Ash's hand slip back into hers. She turned to him and saw him smiling brightly.

"C'mon, I've got loads of people to introduce you to," Ash said, beaming at her and slightly tugging her in a direction. May must've looked surprised, or daunted, by this suggestion, as Ash added, "if you want, that is."

"Of course! But I was thinking that we'd only just got here and seen your mother?" May replied, which was her genuine thought process.

"It's fine, May," Ash's mother said, "I wanted to spend some quality time with my granddaughter on her special day!" Delia tapped Georgia on the nose as she spoke, and the girl giggled in response. May smiled, and turned back to Ash.

"Let's go then."

Ash's smile widened, and he guided her around the various tables, and May was introduced to Lorelei, Bruno and Lance, three of the other Kanto Elite Four members, making her wonder where Ash's opponent was.

"Agatha is resting, she's planning on joining us later for a short while, but big events take this out of her," Ash said, as if he had read her mind. The duo were just departing the trio of Elite Four members. Ash guided May towards a red-head who was facing away from them.

"Zoey, I'm glad you could make it!" Ash said, and the red-head turned to face them, and smirked.

"Well, I wouldn't miss it for the world, _not like I had a choice_ ," the woman said in a slightly raspy voice. It sounded like she was moaning, but the smirk on her face and the somewhat sarcastic tone told May otherwise. As May observed her features, she was almost certain she'd seen her somewhere before.

"Zoey, this is May," Ash introduced, turning to May who had been stood slightly behind him, "May, this is Zoey, she's also a Co-ordinator, you might have seen or met her on the circuit at some point?" Ash said, his tone suggestive – _again_ , it was almost as if he'd read May's mind.

"That's where I recognised you from," Zoey said, her face lighting up as if she had been having the same internal struggle. "It's a pleasure to finally officially meet the Princess of Hoenn in person." May blushed at the compliment, and shook the hand that Zoey had extended to her as she had been talking.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," May said shyly, feeling like she would never stop blushing from all the compliments she had received thus far.

"So, where's the lady who brought my wonderful daughter into this world?" Ash asked, glancing around the room, unable to spot the person in question. Zoey smirked and rolled her eyes.

"She said she wasn't happy with her hair," Zoey said bluntly. There was a moment of silence before her and Ash both burst out laughing.

"She never changes," Ash said, after the two had calmed down. "Zoey and I used to travel together in the Sinnoh region, along with her girlfri-"

"Make that fiancée!" Ash was cut off by a voice over his left shoulder, and May glanced in that direction and was pleasantly surprised to see another familiar face.

"Dawn!" May greeted, wandering over to the blue-haired Co-ordinator and embracing her. "It's great to see you again!"

"May! Ash didn't tell me you were going to be here when he sent the invite!" Dawn replied, shooting a glare over May's shoulder at Ash, who sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"To be honest with you, Dawn, I didn't organise any of this, or send any of the invites," Ash replied, his voice reflecting his sheepish feeling. "The Pokémon League set everything up, the venue, the accommodation, and the invites."

All three women were surprised to hear this. Then Ash realised what Dawn had said to announce her arrival.

" _Fiancée?_ " He exclaimed. "Congratulations!" Ash individually hugged both Dawn and Zoey, before standing beside May, who had also congratulated the couple, verbally and with a hug each. Almost at the exact same time, both Ash and Dawn slipped their hand into the respective dates'.

"I got fed up of waiting for this one to pop the question," Dawn joked, gesturing towards the red-head beside her who was just grinning. "So I did it myself."

"Hey!" Zoey exclaimed, pretending to be offended. "You said you wanted to try and settle down, with a, _in your own words_ , 'actual' job, and a house, for a few years before thinking about a wedding!"

Dawn blushed as she came to the realisation that Zoey was right. May smiled at the playful nature of their relationship.

"Daddy!"

All four of their attentions were drawn by the birthday girl in blue running over to them and into a side-hug with Ash.

"Hey Georgia, you remember Aunt Dawn and Aunt Zoey, right?" Ash said, somehow managing to pick Georgia up in his left arm, whilst still holding onto May's hand.

"Yeah! I want a cuddle!" Georgia exclaimed, reaching her arms out towards the couple. Zoey took her first for a hug, before passing her over to Dawn, who let the girl rest on her arm.

"It's great to see you again, Georgia," Dawn said happily, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"You too, Aunt Dawn!"

May glanced at Ash's face again, for some reason, she found it heartwarming and adorable to see his happy reactions to his daughters' interactions with other people.

However, this time, she saw a flash of pain cross his features, but it passed quickly when he noticed her looking at him.

She squeezed his hand, "What's wrong?" She mouthed. Ash smiled sadly at her and squeezed her hand back, seeming to indicate he'd explain later.

"Daddy, it's song time!" Georgia exclaimed from Dawn's arms, gesturing towards the stage. May was pleased to see a smile return to Ash's face.

"Yes, I do believe it's the right time of the proceedings for Ash to show us his hidden talent," An elderly female voice from behind Ash and May said. The duo turned to find Ash's opponent standing there, leaning on her Poké Ball crested walking stick.

"Agatha! It's great to see you!" Ash greeted, before placing a hand lightly on May's back, and turning his head to look at the brunette. "May, this is Agatha, the final member of the Kanto Elite Four." A look of realisation crossed May's face.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Agatha," May greeted politely, walking towards the Elite member and extending her hand. "Ash has spoken very highly of you." Agatha lips quivered into a small smile as she shook May's hand.

"As he has you, my dear." May felt her cheeks flushing again, but Agatha's focus didn't stay on her too long. "It's time for your performance, Mr. Ketchum." Agatha said, turning her attentions to her challenger, the small smile still clearly evident on her face, with Ash retuning a similar gesture.

May observed the interaction with some curiosity. Even though there was an imminent, important battle between the two, it was clear to see that they had a very friendly, but competitive working relationship.

Ash gulped. He wasn't ready for this just yet, he was hoping to delay another half hour or so, just to emotionally prepare.

He was used to performing his songs in front of his nearest and dearest, but the song he was planning to perform meant a lot to him, he was planning on using this opportunity to secretly express his inner feelings.

Fortunately, he was provided with such further distractions, as a pair of voices called out the name of his date for the evening, and the brunette looked shocked to see who it was.

"Mum! Dad!" She exclaimed happily, before rushing over to give them a hug. Ash smiled at the interaction, before turning back to the trio of women he had previously been speaking with.

"I promise I'll play soon, Georgia, just a few people I have to speak to first, okay?" Ash asked his daughter, who nodded in agreement. "Do you want to come and meet them as well?"

"I want to stay with Aunt Dawn for now, daddy." Ash smiled, and tapped Georgia's nose before heading over to where May was conversing animatedly with her parents.

"-and not to mention the _facilities_ there, they've provided me with my own office and I have twenty-four hour access to their Pokémon training centre!"

Ash smiled at May's enthusiasm, and assumed she was describing the University.

"I'm glad that the facilities I provided are to your liking, Miss Maple," Ash joked, stepping aside May, who was opposite her parents.

May jumped as Ash made his presence known, as she had completely forgotten he was their in her shock, and delight at seeing her parents.

"Oh Ash!" She voiced her surprise. "Mum, Dad, this is Ash Ke-"

"It's great to see you again, m'boy," Norman cut her off, stepping forward and shaking Ash's already extended hand, before pulling him into a 'man hug.' May was even more surprised when her mother stepped forward and embraced him as well!

"You're looking very well, Ash," Caroline commented. "And doing very well for yourself too, judging from all this!" She gestured around at the fact that the Pokémon League had organised such a massive party for his daughter.

"Thank you, Mrs. Maple," Ash thanked, bowing slightly at the praise. "How goes the extension to your greenhouse, Mr. Maple?" Ash asked, turning his attention towards the Petalburg City Gym Leader.

May's mouth dropped wide open, she couldn't believe how up-to-date Ash was with the current goings on at her parents, Max had only told her a few days ago that their parents were planning to extend the greenhouse to facilitate more Pokémon, and to allow family friend Professor Birch to access some of the lot to extend his research.

"Ash, please, we've told you so many times it's Caroline and Norman," Caroline commented, whilst smirking somewhat at her daughters expression.

"Excuse me!" May blurted out, turning to face Ash. "How do you know all this? I only found out a few days ago about the extension!" Ash took a step back in surprise at the outburst.

"Umm..." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Actually, Norman and I stay in fairly regular contact, it was actually him who first made me think about becoming a Gym Leader when I beat him in our rematch," Ash explained, shooting Norman a small smirk at the mention of his victory.

"I will say this until the day I retire, your second fight at my Gym was the most outstanding performance of raw strength and bond between a Pokémon and Trainer, your Pikachu is a fine specimen," Norman commented to Ash, who smiled at the praise, before Norman turned back to May. "Ash even helped take back our Pokémon who got snatched up by some members of Team Rocket, and we were so taken with him that we offered him and his travelling companion a place to stay at the time. I also offered my help to train with him when he qualified for the Hoenn League, not that he needed much help."

May's mouth dropped open. "Team Rocket attacked our house?! How don't I know any of this?"

"Well, you were so busy with your journey in Johto, that it slipped our mind when you got in contact with us, not to mention it wasn't much of an attack, Ash put a stop to them fairly swiftly," Caroline explained. May turned her attentions to Ash.

"And you didn't think any of this was worth mentioning on our date?" She asked. Ash grinned sheepishly, again rubbing the back of his head.

"It slipped my mind," He offered, with a half-hearted shrug. The smile on his face made any negative feelings May fly out of her, and she smiled slightly back, but then what Ash had said to announce his arrival jumped back to the front of her mind.

"What did you mean by the facilities you provided?" She questioned, and _once again_ , Ash had to grin and rub the back of his head sheepishly. There was a fair bit he had failed to bring up with May before.

"I actually helped fund the building of the University, and I was really keen to ensure that the Pokémon side of it had everything the students studying Co-ordinating, Battling, Breeding and Nursing, and lecturers teaching those subjects would need," Ash explained, blushing slightly, uncomfortable with seeming like he was bragging.

"What made you decide to spend your winnings on such a project?" Norman asked, as equally intrigued by Ash's involvement as May was. Ash flushed again, as he didn't want to seem like he was bragging about his accomplishments in the past.

"Well, the victories I had at the Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos leagues brought about a lot of interest in Pallet Town, I think the combination of my successes and the fact that Professor Oak is from here turned it into a bit of a hotspot for Kanto," Ash said softly, trying to ensure that he didn't some across as boastful. "So I wanted to make the most of the interest, and to give prospective Co-ordinators, Trainers, Breeders and Doctors growing up in Pallet Town something to give them the best chance at success in their future."

The Maple's all smiled at Ash's explanation, and May felt her heart swell at Ash's generosity, before a thought crossed her mind.

"Ash mentioned that the League arranged all the invitations, do you know why they invited you?" May asked her parents, before a look of shock crossed her face and she quickly waved her hands in front of her face. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, I _really_ am, I'm just curious!" Caroline smiled softly at her flustered daughter.

"Well, Norman was one of many who recommended Ash to be the eighth Kanto Gym Leader when he applied for the post," Caroline explained. May's eyebrows raised in surprise, before she turned to Ash.

"So how does that process work?" She queried.

"The position became available, and I wrote to the League explaining why I'd like the role, and why I believe I'd make a good Gym Leader," Ash started to explain. "Basically like any job application, except I had to specifically detail how I look after and train my Pokémon."

"Once a League reviews that part of an application," Norman took over. "They then send their shortlisted applicants a few scenario questions, for example, what are your responsibilities if you witness a challenger being abusive to their Pokémon, and so on and so forth."

"After that point, they narrow it down, and ask for character references from various Gym Leaders you've faced in the past," Ash followed on. "Fortunately for me, I'd met a fair few people on my travels who were willing to testify for me, and Norman was one of the first on my list." Ash smiled gratefully towards the man in question, who returned with a big smile of his own. May felt a bubbling in her stomach at the interaction between Ash and her parents, she felt _proud_ of how well they all seemed to get on, and it made her realise just how much she wanted something to happen with her and Ash.

She blushed at her own thoughts, before quickly shaking them off and smirking towards Ash, as Georgia's earlier request came to her mind.

"Well, I believe there was something your daughter asked you to do just before my parents arrived, wasn't there?" May said in a teasing tone, tapping her finger on her chin pretending to think. In doing so, she missed the look of panic that flashed across Ash's face.

" _So this is it,"_ He thought to himself.

"What was that, Ash?" Caroline asked, snapping the man out of his thoughts.

"I'm going to go and perform one of the songs I've written. I like to write a few in my spare time," Ash replied, answering the unasked question he could sense coming.

"I look forward to seeing, and hearing, it!" Caroline said enthusiastically. Norman nodded in agreement.

"Yes, if your performance is anything like how you perform with your Pokémon, it's going to be a wonderful show."

Ash blushed at the praise, and smiled gratefully, nodding in thanks.

"Okay, I'll see you all a bit later," He said, smiling towards May, who smiled back, before he headed off towards the stage.

"So, you two are dating?" Caroline asked in a teasing tone, one eyebrow slightly raised. May took a step back at the question.

"They might as well be!" A female voice said jokingly from behind May, and she turned slightly to see Delia standing their with Georgia in her arms, having seemingly taken her off of Dawn. "I'm Delia, Ash's mother, and this is his daughter, and the birthday girl, Georgia," Delia introduced them, stepping forward so she was stood next to May. "And I'm assuming from how similar you both look to May, that you're her parents!"

Caroline smiled at the duo. "It's lovely to meet you Georgia, and you too Delia, and you assume correctly, we are May's parents, I'm Caroline, and this is Norman," Caroline replied, before smirking at Delia's comment. "So they might as well be? Is my daughter playing hard to get?"

May's face flushed bright red, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Oh you should see how they act around each other, Caroline," Delia teased, a vibrant smirk on her face. "They both blush every time they make eye contact, and they've been glued to each others side this evening. But unfortunately, it's my son who's taking his time, as he certainly should've asked by now, May is positively delightful."

If it were even possible for her to go more red, May certainly did.

"That's lovely of you to say, Delia, we're very proud of her," Norman responded, making May surprised at how accepting he was of the two women talking about her love life, ever since her incident with Brendan, Norman had been very protective of her around men. "We absolutely love Ash, and would be very much on board if they get their acts together and start dating."

May's jaw dropped at the fact her _dad_ , _Norman Maple_ , was joining in on the teasing. All three of the parents looked at May and burst out laughing at the expression on her face.

Georgia was in Delia's arms looking perplexed at the laughter.

"But you should see how brilliant May is with this little one," Delia said after the laughter died down, her tone of voice sobering everyone up, as she lifted Georgia slightly in her arms to indicate that was who she was talking about. There was both sadness and delight in her tone, sadness at Serena's fate, but delight at the fact that Georgia seemingly had a motherly figure in her life.

Norman and Caroline looked at each other and smiled at the praise their daughter was receiving.

"If you don't mind us asking where's Georgia's mo-" Caroline started to ask.

"It's complicated!" May blurted out, giving her parents a look that screamed _don't you dare ask_. Delia smiled gratefully at May, pleased that she had stopped anything being said in front of Georgia, as Ash's mother was well aware of Serena's wish about Georgia not being made aware of what happened until she was old enough to completely understand.

Norman and Caroline shared a surprised look at May's tone, but decided not to press any further at the time, but were surprised when Delia spoke up.

"May, would you mind taking Georgia to the front, so she can get the best view of Ash's performance? I'll answer your parents question." May was shocked that Delia was willing to share the fate of Serena with her parents, but she was touched by it as well.

"O-Of course, Delia, but are you sure Ash won't mind?" May queried, as Georgia happily wriggled out of Delia's grip and into May's outstretched arms.

"I'm sure, as his future in-laws they deserve to know," Delia said in a teasing tone, winking at May. "Go on ahead, we'll catch you up."

May smiled at Delia before heading off to the front of the stage, where she could see that Ash was fiddling with the stand his microphone on, bringing it down to the level where it was right in front of his face, as he was perched on a bar stool.

May reached the front of the stage and Georgia started waving in Ash's direction, but he had turned to pick up an acoustic guitar and hadn't noticed their presence. The stage was roughly six feet high, so May and Georgia were having to tilt their heads to look up at where Ash was.

"Good luck, daddy!" Georgia shouted, making Ash jump slightly, he turned and smiled in their direction, but May could see that it was just to hide his nerves.

"You'll be great, Ash," May added gently, trying to soothe his nerves and offering him a bright smile.

Ash felt his face heat up, and he returned May's smile. His heart beating out of his chest as he prepared.

"Thanks, girls," He said, before he sat down on the stool and rested his left foot on the ridge connecting the stools legs, so his left knee was raised, creating a perch for his guitar to rest on. He cleared his throat into the microphone, to grab everyone else's attention. "Good evening everyone, and thank you all for coming to wish my daughter, Georgia, a happy birthday!" He thanked, gesturing to where Georgia was stood next to May, having hopped out of her arms when Ash cleared his throat. The little girl turned and waved at everyone, making the crowd laugh. People were starting to walk closer to the stage, and May spotted Delia, Norman and Caroline making a beeline towards her, wearing slightly sombre faces, meaning Delia had explained the situation. Caroline swept May up in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," She whispered into May's ear, making the latter blush again. They were snapped out of their moment by Ash speaking again.

"I am sure that some of you are also here to witness the match between Agatha and myself in a couple of days, and I would like to thank said wonderful woman for helping to organise this event, and would like you to all give her a round of applause for her service to this region," Ash said passionately. There was a large round of applause, and a few whoops, and Ash spotted Agatha in the crowd, smiling in his direction. He saw her wipe a tear from her eye, and knew he'd made the right decision in publicly thanking her. He had been umming and ahhing about making such an announcement, as he wasn't sure whether she'd appreciate the attention, as she had been closed off in the past. But his heart had won over, and wanted the women to know that she was appreciated.

"Some of you know that I like to write songs whenever I have some spare time, and Georgia was _quite insistent_ that I perform one of them," Ash said, after the applause had died down, which caused a ripple of laughter. "So this is one of them, it's called _Take on the World_."

 **(I recommend listening to the Amsterdam Acoustic version of Take on the World by You Me At Six - watch?v=HtWq-Xj_zjA)**

Ash started to strum on his guitar, and when he sung into the microphone, May felt her heart swoon. His voice was smooth and velvety, but with a huge edge of emotion, like he was living every word he was singing. He played and sung with so much ease that you could've mistaken him for a regular, professional performer. He had his eyes closed as he sung.

 _ **Just say the word, we'll take on the world**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Oh**_ _ ****_

 _ **I can see, see the pain in your eyes**_ _ **  
**_

Ash's eyes flicked open, and he caught May's gaze, and she felt her heart rate quicken and her face heat up. Ash had as much emotion showing in his eyes as he was projecting with his voice.

 _ **Oh, believe, believe me and I have tried**_ _ **  
**_ _ **No, I won't, I won't pretend to know what you've been through**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You should know, I wish it was me, not you**_ _ ****_

 _ **And just say the word, we'll take on the world**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Nobody knows you the way that I know you**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Look in my eyes. I will never desert you.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **And just say the word, we'll take on the world**_

May turned to Delia who was stood next to her. "Did he write this for Serena?" She asked quietly, aware of Georgia stood right in front of them. The girl was holding her hands together under her chin, staring up at Ash in adoration, bouncing slightly on her toes in excitement.

Delia smirked slightly at May. "Oh no, I've heard all of Ash's music and this is a new song, he must've written in recently."

May's face heated up again at the insinuating tone in Delia's voice. _ ****_

 _ **And it's the fight, and the fight of our lives**_ _ **  
**_ _ **You and I—we were made to thrive**_ _ **  
**_ _ **And I am your future, I am your past**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Never forget we were built to last**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Step out of the shadows and into my life**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Silence the voices that haunt you inside**_

"Do you think he wrote it about me...?" She asked quietly, unable to keep the hope out of her voice. Delia smiled softly at the nervous brunette.

"Who else do you think it's about?" Delia replied softly, wanting May to believe, on her own, that Ash _did_ feel the same way that she did. _ ****_

 _ **And just say the word, we'll take on the world**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Just say you're hurt, we'll face the worst**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Nobody knows you the way that I know you**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Look in my eyes, I will never desert you.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **And just say the word, we'll take on the world, we'll take on the world**_ __

Ash finished the song, and sat there with his eyes closed for a few moments, incredibly relieved he'd gotten through such an emotional public performance, before loud applause snapped him out of his reverie.

"Thank you all, now, I believe that a couple of friends of mine, Jessie and James, have arranged for a band to play for the rest of the evening," Ash said. "So please, continue to help yourself to food and beverages and enjoy some live music!"

As Ash headed of the stage six people came onto the stage, and picked up various instruments and started to play some backing music that was a good tempo for people to dance to, but not overbearing for those wishing to just sit and converse with fellow guests.

Ash was tackled in a hug as he stepped down off the stage, and smiled down at the top of Georgia's head.

"Thanks daddy, that was a lovely song!" She thanked, as Ash picked her up.

"My pleasure, sweetheart, I'm glad you liked it," Ash smiled at her, as he walked over to where he saw May, Delia, Caroline and Norman standing.

As he approached, he looked up and made eye contact with May, and his heart almost stopped, there was so much emotion in the look she was giving him, her cheeks were tinted pink and her eyes were sparkling lightly with tears.

But she was wearing most beautiful smile he had ever seen, and it made his widen tenfold.

"Hey guys," He said as he approached them.

"Daddy was brilliant!" Georgia exclaimed excitedly from his arms.

"That was a beautiful song, Ash," Caroline commented.

"You have some voice!" Norman added, patting Ash on the shoulder.

"Thank you both," Ash smiled brightly at them, very grateful for their praise.

"Wonderful as usual, Ashy," Delia said, taking Georgia out of Ash's arms, as the little girl had reached towards her. "Interesting new song, though," She winked slyly at him. Ash felt his face heat up.

"Yes, it certainly was interesting," a new voice said from behind Ash.

He turned and his stomach dropped.

Stood behind him was a man and a woman, seemingly in their mid to late 50s, the man had a brown three piece corduroy suit on, with a match bowler hat and a walking stick, a big white moustache matching the colour of his hair, and he spoke with a thick French accent. The woman had brunette hair and was wearing a simple black dress.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yvonne, how lovely to see you," Ash said courteously, bowing slightly before extending his hand to the man.

To May's shock, the man huffed, and completely ignored him.

"I wish we could say the same, considering the circumstances of the day," Mrs. Yvonne said, her tone harsh and her gaze piercing in Ash's direction.

"Nanny! Grandpa!" Georgia waved from Delia's arms, and the penny dropped for May.

These were Serena's parents. The memory of Ash's aura induce vision flickered to May's mind, and she remembered that they had missed Georgia's birth, and subsequently, hadn't been there when Serena had passed away.

To her immense shock, Georgia's grandparents barely even acknowledged her, even though the birthday girl had spoken directly to them.

May glanced at Ash, and could see anger radiating in his eyes, but aside from that, he had somehow kept a calm demeanour.

He turned his head slightly so he was looking at Georgia, and the crestfallen look on her face broke his heart. "Georgia, why don't you go and find Aunt Jessie and Uncle James?"

A bright smile overtook the crestfallen look and she nodded enthusiastically, hopping out of Delia's arms and running off towards the tables.

"I still find it absolutely ridiculous you haven't told the girl the fate of her mother," Mrs. Yvonne stated snobbishly, which was accentuated by her pointing her nose in the air. Ash frowned.

"It was one of Serena's final wishes that she didn't, I think you should respect that," Ash replied, keeping his tone calm, even though he was fuming inside.

"Well, if it wasn't for that girl of yours ours would still be alive."

Ash took a step back as if he'd been slapped. There was a collective gasp from Delia, Caroline and Norman. May couldn't find it in herself to make any noise.

Ash took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out as a sigh.

"Yes, the strain of the birth caused the medical issues that led to Serena's passing, but she _wanted_ Georgia," Ash said, and May was amazed that he was able to keep a level voice. The four bystanders exchanged incredulous looks at the exchange in front of them. "Even though you couldn't be bothered to show up for Georgia's birth, I thought you'd have at least respected your daughter enough to approve of some of her decisions." Ash's tone had an underlying layer of sarcasm to it, but May was only just able to pick up on it.

"Respect her? How dare you!" Mr. Yvonne growled. "You have _never_ been good for her, distracting her with all this Pokémon Showcasing lark rather than taking after her mother."

"You do realise that I just guided her towards what she _actually_ wanted to do, and not what you wanted to force upon her?" Ash asked rhetorically. Serena's parents seemed to ignore his comment.

"And how can you talk about respect when you're flaunting this harlot around on the anniversary of our daughters death?" Mrs. Yvonne said.

"Excuse me?" Ash growled. "Don't you _dare_ talk about _anyone_ that way, let alone May." Ash suddenly became aware of Norman stepping forward to give his verdict on the conversation. Ash placed his hand in front of him as he tried to pass. "Don't, Norman, their not worth the air they breathe."

Ash started to turn around, to walk away from Serena's parents, and tried to guide the other four away but he heard Serena's parents mumble something under their breath.

"What was that?" He asked over his shoulder, giving them a piercing look.

"I bet you're glad she's dead."

Ash's jaw dropped at Mr. Yvonne's comment, and he felt tears start to sting at her eyes.

"She meant _everything_ to me," He could barely squeeze out at a whisper. He could feel emotions building up in his chest, all those familiar feelings of guilt and confusion from when he'd first met May.

"You were never good for her," Mr. Yvonne repeated.

"I always did my best for her, that's more than could be said for you two," Ash shot back. As he turned to fully face them, Mrs. Yvonne stepped forward and slapped him.

Ash recoiled in shock, and brought his hand up to the cheek that had been struck, and he could feel it stinging.

"We never should've let you two travel together," Mrs. Yvonne said. "If we'd have stopped you, she'd still be alive, it's your fault."

The words stung Ash more than the slap. He immediately turned and walked swiftly out of the function room, out of the doors that headed towards the meadow his Pokémon were staying.

"Hmph. Pathetic." Mr. Yvonne said.

May, Caroline and Norman were in absolute shock at what they'd witnessed, so shocked that they hadn't stepped in to do anything. May's heart broke at the look of distress on Ash's face as he had walked away.

"May," Delia's terse voice snapped May out of her thoughts. "Please could you go and check on him?" She asked politely, but May could easily hear the edge of anger in her voice. "I need to make sure that _Mr. and Mrs. Yvonne_ are well aware that they should _not_ talk to anyone this way."

"Are you sure you're okay to deal with them?" May asked, concerned to leave Delia in these awful people's presence. "They're vile!"

Delia turned to look at May, and the latter was shocked at the pure hatred and anger in Ash's mothers' eyes.

"I'm sure," Delia said firmly. "This is the last time they treat Ash like shit, no matter how much he's asked me not to make a big deal out of it, I can't stand it any more. Please check to see he's okay."

May nodded, and hurried in the direction Ash had gone.

"We'll help you escort them out," Caroline offered, as she and Norman stood beside Delia, who smiled gratefully at them.

 **-IBYL-**

May walked out of the doors as quickly as she could manage in her heels. She was met by a sharp breeze as she stepped outside, making her shiver slightly.

She looked out in front of her trying to catch a glimpse of where Ash had gone. In front of her was a huge staircase down to the meadow where she could see various Pokémon of Ash's mulling around, some training, some just resting. To her left and right the balcony extended. As she glanced to her right, she could just about make out a figure leaning on the balcony.

Ash.

She walked swiftly in that direction. As she neared she could see Ash's shoulders heaving up and down, and her heart broke when she heard his sobs.

"Oh Ash," She said softly as she approached. The wind carried her voice to Ash, and he stopped crying momentarily. May stepped up along side him and leaned on the railing, trying to get a look at Ash's face, but he had turned himself slightly away from her.

"I'm sorry," He croaked quietly. May raised her eyebrow in surprise, she certainly wasn't expecting an apology. "I shouldn't have let them get away with calling you that."

Oh. She'd completely forgotten about the insult they'd called her, she was more concerned about Ash.

"Don't worry about it," May assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't care about anything they have to say. I'm just worried about you."

Ash flinched slightly under her touch, and he breathed out another heavy sigh.

"I wish I could say the same," Ash muttered. "They're right, y'know?" He asked, turning slightly to face May, and the look on his face made her stomach sink. He genuinely believed what they had said.

"That is absolutely not true, Ash," May countered, her tone slightly forceful. "You can't believe what those vile people have to say about you, they're toxic and the fact that they can't see how wonderful you are is _their loss_."

Ash offered her a sad smile, but he still wasn't convinced. There was a moment of silence where Ash gazed out over the view, and May wasn't sure exactly what to say next.

"She would've beaten the cancer, you know?" Ash said out of the blue. "But the strain of the birth combined with a cancerous cyst on her pancreas ended up killing her. But the chemo was working, she would've made it."

May was surprised that Ash was genuinely believing this.

"Ash, are you seriously considering blaming Georgia's birth for this? You said it yourself, Serena wanted to have a child!" May countered.

"She did, but..." Ash paused.

"I know it's horrible for me to say, but even if Serena had decided to change her mind about Georgia, there's still the possibility that the cancer may have beaten her. Is that a world worth thinking about, where you have neither of them?"

Ash shuddered at that idea. May was right, no matter how heartbroken he had been after Serena's passing, Georgia was a shining light in his life. But the rest of it was so dark so much of the time.

"And..." May hesitated, wondering if now was the right time to bring up what she wanted to say.

"You're right," Ash offered, not realising that May was pausing to build up courage, not for him to agree with her. "Georgia is the light of my life... but... there's still so much darkness in my life, moments where the agony of raising her all alone overtakes me," Ash added quietly, voicing his earlier voice.

May gulped, this was it.

"Hey," She said gently, taking her left hand and reaching round to cup Ash's left cheek and guide his face round to look at her. "You've done brilliantly to raise her all by yourself, but we've said before, you've never given yourself time to grieve, to _allow_ yourself time in the darkness, because letting it happen, and letting it out, is the only way to deal with it."

"And you've been alone to deal with that darkness," May continued. "But not any more, you don't have to suffer alone."

"I'll be your light, led through the darkness," May finished with such purpose and determination, whilst gazing deeply into Ash's eyes with the same intensity.

Ash's mouth dropped open slightly as he realised what May was insinuating.

" _She feels the same way about me,"_ He thought happily.

They gazed into each others' eyes for a few moments, before they simultaneously closed the gap.

Their lips met, and sparks rushed through both of their bodies, it was slow, and filled with passion, and all of the emotions the two had shared moments before. May's hands slid up and around Ash's neck, as his wrapped around her waist, and they held each other close.

When they broke apart, they stayed in each others arms, foreheads resting against the others', their noses occasionally brushing.

"This may be forward of me," Ash said quietly, a dazzling smile on his face that made May's heart swoon. "But I have fallen head over heels for you, May Maple."

She swore her heart skipped a beat, and she blushed furiously, matching Ash's brilliant smile.

"That's good," She replied, smirking and winking at Ash, "I may have done the same with you, Ash Ketchum."

The two shared another kiss, before Ash broke the hug, but grabbed May's hand and started heading towards the meadow.

"What are you doing?" May giggled, as they reached the bottom of the stairs and Ash started taking his shoes off. He jumped down onto the grass, and turned, bowing slightly to May.

"Miss Maple, may I have this dance?" He said, gazing up into her eyes, smiling so brightly he almost illuminated the night, and for the umpteenth time, May blushed.

"You certainly may, Mr. Ketchum," She replied playfully, curtseying in his direction, before shuffling her shoes off and stepping onto the grass.

Ash slipped his left hand onto May's waist, and she put her right onto his left shoulder, and they grabbed each others free hands.

May was surprised that they were able to hear the music from where they were. She was shook from that surprise when Ash started leading her in a waltz rhythm, and she was amazed at how flawlessly he moved.

They both laughed as they glided over the freshly cut grass that tickled their feet, all the while looking into each others eyes, feeling almost euphoric.

They came to a stop after a couple of songs to catch their breath, but they stayed in each others arms.

"There's only one thing that could make this more perfect," May commented, after a few moments of silence. Ash cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

He got his answer when he heard a little voice shout from the top of the stairs.

"Daddy! May!"

Ash's heart soared as he realised that May had meant Georgia.

"Hey birthday girl! Want to come and dance, barefoot on the grass with May and I?" Ash shouted up to her, and the little girl dashed down the stairs so quickly and excitedly, Ash was scared she might trip.

But in no time, the three of them were twirling and spinning around the meadow, all laughing.

Ash took a step back and watched as May swung Georgia around in the air, and the squeal of delight that came out of his daughter made him wish this moment would never end. He wandered over to the stairs and sat down on one of them, and continued to observe.

"Pikapi!"

Ash was snapped out of his dazed staring by a weight leaping onto his shoulder.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash greeted happily, scratching Pikachu's head and earning a pleased coo.

Pikachu (Look at the pair of them, when are you gonna tell her how you feel?)

Ash smirked at the yellow rodent. "I already have."

Pikachu's jaw dropped, and he looked back and forth between Ash and May, pointing at the two of them at the same time, causing Ash to laugh.

"I know. She feels the same way," Ash smiled brightly. Pikachu snapped out of his shock, and shared Ash's smile, before nuzzling up to his cheek.

Pikachu (It's so good to see you happy again!)

"It's good to feel happy again," Ash replied. The duo spent a few more moments watching May and Georgia twirl and giggle, before the two girls got tired.

Georgia ran over and jumped into Ash's lap, sitting on his right thigh. Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder and into Georgia's lap, and the girl immediately started stroking him in the spots he loved, earning more delighted coos.

May sat down on Ash's left, and smiled at him in a way that sent shivers down his spine. Ash lifted his left arm, placed it around May's waist, and shuffled her across so she was right up against him, and she responded by resting her head on his shoulder.

Ash placed a kiss on the top of Georgia's head, before he then rested his head gently on top of May's.

The quartet were unaware of a group of people congregated at the top of the stairs watching them.

Delia had to wipe a tear from her eye as she watched them.

"I have to say, Brock, Misty, I was a bit sceptical when you told me you thought you had someone who could help him," Delia admitted. "But that woman is absolutely perfect."

The aforementioned couple smiled at Ash's mother. Stood next to them were Norman and Caroline, who had their arms around each other as well.

"We have similar sentiments about Ash," Norman added. "May's had a rough time when it comes to men, but he is exactly what she needs."

Delia felt a wave of pride rush through her.

"And they'll both be perfect for Georgia," Misty said softly, as Brock wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Even this group were unaware, at this point, of the final individual observing the group of Ash, May, Georgia and Pikachu.

"Lets hope that this gives him everything he needs to be in top form in a couple of days time," Agatha said to herself, grinning at the prospect of their upcoming battle.

 **EOC**

 **Probably the longest chapter I've ever written, but I'm not that happy with it – I got down all the ideas I wanted for this story/chapter, but not in the way that flows best. I hope you enjoyed reading nonetheless.**

 **A massive shout out to Revenial, who's review and PM gave me the motivation to get cracking with this chapter.**

 _ **So**_ **, Ash and May are finally together, after a nasty confrontation with Serena's parents, who are probably very different from the anime – because I never watched it. If you recall a few chapters ago, during Ash's aura vision, it was hinted at that Serena's parents never approved of her's and Ash's relationship, but it has now been made known just how badly they viewed it.**

 **I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter, and next up, it'll be the build up to Ash and Agatha's bout. I'm severely hoping I don't take this long to upload again, but I have very little free time, working 8-5 Monday to Friday, it's hard to find the motivation and energy, but I** _ **really**_ **want to get this finished.**

 **Until next time, I've been Advanced Faith. You've been awesome.**


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